Two Worlds: Home
by conart
Summary: The story of a friendship forged through adventure: A young girl wakes up trapped in a lonely world where mutants don't exist.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They all belong to Marvel and there's nothing we can do about it. The end.

A/N:I feel obligated to let you know I started this story at sixteen years old under. Nearly ten years later, here I am. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to remember the password! It was painful to reread, as I can clearly see now how delusional my plot-making skills were as a child. Don't even get me started on how terrible my grammar was. So here it is… refurbished, redone, and hopefully better than the last version my sixteen-year-old self slaughtered.

A World from Home

**A Stranger in the Night**

**Monday, April 4****th****, 1:58 am**

The girl gave a startled yelp as she flew through the open vortex and landed within a few unfriendly bushes. Muttering in pain, she mustered all the strength she could and sat up slowly. She ran a hand through her shoulder-length jet black hair and looked up at the mysterious opening where she came from. The vortex she had long disappeared, along with any hope she could get back to where she fell from.

Her thoughts raced as she wondered how she had arrived there. A splitting headache struck very suddenly and mercilessly. She groaned as her vision started to waver. She took a moment to piece together her aching head, but to no avail. Looking down, she examined her body. Her jeans were torn and partially burnt, and her nightshirt stunk of blood and sweat. A dirty pair of white sneakers were obviously thrown on in a hurry. She was suddenly aware of other pains besides her head; her wrist for one felt stiff and slightly numb. She turned and spit a bit of blood out of her mouth.

After forcing a deep breath, she tried to remember what happened before she ended up where she was now sitting. Blurred visions of alarms and a fight swarmed her suddenly, and left her confused. Somewhere nearby, a car horn honked.

It was then that she was suddenly aware of her surroundings. Remembering previous lessons from her feral mentor she sat completely still and listened, scolding herself for not doing this the moment she landed. She heard cars passing by not too far away. Crickets chirping in the distance. And wind. The rest was unnervingly silent.

She turned her head slightly to get a visual of her new environment. She had earlier fully comprehended that she was in a bush. Turning her head left, she could see the headlights from the cars she heard. She looked up beyond the leaves and saw a clear night sky of stars. After coming to the conclusion that she was in no immediate danger, she stood up carefully.

"Where am I?"

At once, her headache returned, and this time at full force. She reached out for balance and could find none. Her body veered to the left as she fell onto another bush. She gave a slight scream as she pulled herself out of the thorn bush and backed hastily away from anything else that resembled nature. Her vision became worse as she continued to stumble. As she took a last clumsy step, she found the ground uneven and stumbled onto concrete floor. She carefully gathered herself together once more and pulled herself up.

When her vision finally cleared, she noticed the pair of headlights approaching her. After that, everything blurred again and could only hear the screeching of car breaks.

**Jean Grey Summers**

**Monday, April 4****th****, 2:01 am**

The woman had been on her way home to her husband and son from a late shift at the hospital. Nothing made her feel better than the idea of a warm greeting from Scott and Nathan, the two men of her life. It had been a long day at the hospital from a seven-car pile-It had been a long day at the hospital after a seven-car pile-up and a class of sick children. There was nothing Jean Summers would rather do than read six-year-old Nathan a story and snuggle up with Scott to sleep.

Life was beautiful in the lives of the Summers, Jean thought happily. It was far from perfect, but she wouldn't have it any other way. A quiet drive home from work was always a transition period for Jean. As she gathered her thoughts together and let loose the stresses of her shift, she could phase away her doctor side and slip into her mommy side. Unlike other doctors, long hours and a lot of love made her ride home so peaceful on a daily basis.

She checked her side mirror and looking over her shoulder and pulled into the right lane. Then abruptly, a girl stood up directly in her path. Jean screamed and slammed on the breaks. The girl wasn't hit that hard, but she ended up rolling on top of the hood of the car, and then sliding off onto the grass at the side of the road.

**The Stranger on the Road  
Monday, April 4****th****, 2:15 am**

The girl groaned as she tried to turn onto her side. Groggily, she realized that she couldn't move her neck. The thought panicked her and she tried to scratch at the restraints around her throat.

Strange arms held hers down. She tried to fight the strangers off, but found herself amazingly too tired to move.

"Easy there," a hazy male voice spoke to her. "Take it easy."

"She just came out of nowhere, Sam," a woman's voice said. "I didn't mean to–"

She didn't hear the rest of the sentence, drifting too far into unconsciousness.

**New York Memorial Hospital  
Monday, April 4****th****, 4:03 am**

She wasn't sure how long had passed since she was last able to recall conscious thought.

The next time when she awoke, she didn't move. She kept her eyes shut, listening to her surroundings. An annoyingly steady beeping made her head throb, and several inaudible voices could be heard in the distance. She was suddenly very aware of the horrible pain in her left wrist, and hissed silently. Her legs felt bruised up, but not badly enough to bother her at the moment.

She had a slight headache, but forced herself to focus. There was a draft where she lay and a thin sheet of blanket was pulled over her. An uncomfortable, yet welcoming pillow sat beneath her head and her ankle felt a cold railing against the side of the bed. She felt a slightly odd pressure on her thumb.

The child insider her gave false hope that she was in Beast's medlab. But the realistic in her forced her to gauge her surroundings closer. Hank's voice could _not_ be heard humming a ridiculously cheery classic tune. Wolvie's musky scent could not be detected anywhere nearby. And no one in the X-Mansion would've thought to leave her all alone in a medbed.

A telephone ringing somewhere in the distance confirmed her strong suspicion. Her heart nearly broke. The telephones in the medlab sounded much different. She _wasn't_ home; in fact, she had a feeling she was far from it.

She forced one eye open and found herself in a room. The lights were turned off, but the wide open door let more than enough light seep through. She blinked and forced her eyes open all the way. Peering beyond the door, she caught sight of a desk and several people in hospital uniforms passing by.

Immediately, she thought of the others. There had been a fight, she remembered. The alarms were blaring in the middle of the night. She'd only had time to pull on jeans and sneakers; she couldn't even change out of her night shirt. Why was she even at the X-Mansion? She was supposed to be in Massachusetts. At the moment, she couldn't recall why she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Cyclops had forbid her to come along during the fight. True to her slightly rebellious nature, she had tagged along anyway.

The girl sat up carefully, and slid the thin blanket off of her. She wore an ugly hospital gown and nothing else. Peering at her legs, she found them cleaned and bandaged. Her right thumb was clipped by a small clamp and connected her to a machine. Her left wrist was bandaged and hurt like hell. And her headache seemed to be almost as bad as her wrist. She brought her right arm up to touch her head, and found yet another bandage. As she tried to scratch an itch underneath the bandage, the clip on her thumb proved to be an unnecessary annoyance. Abruptly, she yanked it off.

"Ugh," she muttered, raising her good arm to cover one ear.

An annoyingly rapid beeping sound came from the machine connected to her. Groaning, she reached over and tried to shut it off, but as she moved her body towards it, her head started to throb even more. She finally forced her way to it, and didn't know how to shut it off. So she shoved the obnoxious contraption to the ground. It made a loud _crash_.

"Oops," she said, not really feeling sorry. She stared down at the probably-very-expensive machine that lay shattered on the floor.

A couple nurses startled her by arriving to see what the commotion was. One of the nurses started to mutter expletives in Spanish as she tried putting back together what the patient had destroyed. Another nurse was at the girl's side in an instant.

"I see you've managed to keep yourself busy in the time you woke up," remarked the nurse, a curly-haired redhead. "What's your name dear?"

"None of your business!" the girl answered grumpily, resisting any help from the kind nurse. "Where am I?"

"Calm down now," the nurse soothed, despite the patient's hostile manner. "Can you tell me what your name is?"

"No! Not until you tell me where everyone else is!" Her headache started to feel worse. Her thoughts began to jumble again. Why was she here?

"Sweetheart, you came here alone," the nurse replied. She cast a worried glance towards the other nurse.

"What?" The young patient started to let swear words roll off her tongue as the kind nurse tried vainly to calm her down. The girl began to panic, demanding to know where 'everyone else' was and issuing violent threats.

Two doctors came through the door and the girl began to feel a little claustrophobic.

"What's going on in here?" A voice boomed. This doctor was kind of short and bald, with hardened facial features.

None of the nurses spoke after his authoritative voice made its presence; the patient had a feeling neither of the nurses liked this guy. An uneasy silence filled the room and Jubilee's stomach began to feel butterflies. _Nope, that's not butterflies_, Jubilee thought suddenly as she leaned over the railing and vomited on the floor.

The authoritative doctor ushered the nurses out.

The other doctor pushed passed the nurses and put a hand on Jubilee's back as she continued to throw up. This doctor was female, the girl could tell from the gentle touch on her back. This doctor pulled out a tub for Jubilee to finish vomiting corn.

Jubilee examined her vomit carefully and disgustedly. _Corn_? She couldn't remember eating corn. In fact, she couldn't remember what she'd had at all for dinner.

Once the last of the gagging ceased, the female doctor maneuvered her patient to lie back down. The girl forced her eyes shut in an attempt to hush her dizziness.

"You should've taken it easy," the female doctor said as she checked her patient's bandages. "What's your name, Sweetie?"

"Jubi… lee," she muttered in reply, too light-headed to fight.

"That's an interesting name there. I like it. Do you remember what happened?"

"No," Jubilee shook her head miserably.

"You were hit by a car," Jean paused. "Actually, to be more specific, it was _my_ car."

"Gee, thanks a lot," Jubilee replied sarcastically.

"Do you know where your parents are?"

Her voice seemed awful familiar to Jubilee. "Dead," Jubilee muttered nonchalantly.

Jean's gut churned at the girl's response. "Who takes care of you?"

"Teachers," Jubilee sighed. At that moment she finally processed the warm voice speaking to her, and she opened her eyes abruptly. She sat up and took a look at the female doctor's long red hair and green eyes.

"I just said to take it easy," Jean said, fully eyeing the antsy girl sitting in the bed.

"Jean!" Jubilee cried as she threw her arms around her.

Jean was caught by surprise when the young stranger showed affection. "Excuse me?"

Jubilee immediately let go and sat back staring at Jean. "You're not Jean Grey?" Jubilee asked bewildered. The woman before her certainly _looked_ and _sounded _like the Jean she had come to grow and love.

"Well I used to be," Jean replied a little surprised.

"What do you mean? What happened?" Jubilee asked frantically.

"I got married-" Jean began, unnerved by this stranger's knowledge of her maiden name.

"-to Scott," Jubilee finished, as though it were ridiculously matter-of-fact. What was wrong with this woman?

"How did… how did you know?"

"Jean?" Jubilee whispered. "You honestly don't know me?"

Jubilee's blue eyes stared pleadingly into Jean's for truth. Jean watched the young girl for a moment and tried to think if she knew this girl. She shook her head disbelievingly.

"Jean?" Jubilee pleaded once more, more panic beginning to set in. "It's _me_, you have to know me… It's me, Jubilee! Jubilation Lee! The firecracker!"

"I'm afraid I don't know you, Jubilee," Jean said firmly after a pause. "Should I?"

Jubilee's face then went pale as she lay back against the pillow. Her lips pursed shut as she looked away from Jean with tears in her eyes.

Just then, the curly haired nurse poked her head into the room. "Dr. Summers, your husband is on the phone for you."

"Okay, thank you, Shannon," Jean replied slowly. "I'll be there in a minute." With that, the nurse disappeared from the doorway. Jean looked back at the young girl. "I'll be back soon, Jubilee. I'll have someone in to clean up the mess. And then we'll have a talk, OK?"

Jubilee didn't reply. She continued to stare at the other side of the room with an expressionless face.

Jean felt uneasy, and slowly backed away. "I'll be back, I promise," Jean called as she left the room.

Jubilee lay there for a long while just staring. She tried desperately to wake up from this dream. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't know how she got here. She couldn't remember anything before she fell out of the sky. All she knew was she didn't belong here, wherever she was, in this world.

She barely noticed when the nurses returned to clean up the mess. She didn't notice when a tray of food was laid on the table next to her bed. And she didn't notice that the nurses were trying to talk to her. She was lost in thought, trying to figure a way out of this nightmare.

Jubilee felt herself becoming weary. Absentmindedly, she yawned. Wherever she was, in _this_ world, everything seemed to make her sleepy. After deciding she was safe for the meantime and that it wasn't worth fighting to stay awake, she let herself drift away. Visions of a semi-feral wolverine, one who would retrieve this particular lost girl, filled her dreams with false hope.

**The Summers  
Monday, April 4****th****, 3:20 am**

Jean arrived at the phone. "Hello?"

"_Jean, are you all right?_" came Scott Summers' overprotective tone. "_I got a call from Shannon about the accident._"

"Yes, Scott I'm fine…"

_"You don't sound fine. What's wrong? Do you want me to call a sitter for Nathan? I can come down there."_

"No, no, it's fine. It's just the girl I hit… It's weird. She knew my name."

There was a pause on the other side. Finally, Scott replied, "_What do you mean? Did she read your name tag?"_

"No, not like that…" Jean wasn't sure how to explain the situation. She took a deep breath. "Look, she knew my _maiden_ name. She looked at me, _into my eyes_, as if she knew me. It was odd. She knew your name too."

Another pause. "_Are you sure you don't know her?"_

"I've never seen her before in my life," Jean stated firmly.

_"What's her name? Maybe I know her through the depart-"_

"She calls herself Jubilee," Jean interrupted.

She heard him sigh. _"Jean, that's a pretty unique name… I've never heard it before."_

"Me neither. I'm so confused."

_"Were you hurt in the accident? You might have hit your head-"_

"No, I wasn't hurt at all-" she tried to explain.

"_I'm calling the sitter. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"But-"

_"I'm coming, Jean. I'll try to be there within the hour."_ His tone left no room for discussion and Scott Summers promptly hung up the phone, leaving his wife rolling her eyes while cradling the phone.

Jean slowly placed the phone back on the receiver and sighed. There was never any use arguing with her husband when he was worried about something.

She walked back to Jubilee's room and found the young girl asleep. Wishing not to disturb her newfound acquaintance, she sat down in a chair and before long dozed off herself.

**Scott Summers  
Monday, April 4****th****, 5:49 am**

Scott arrived at the hospital while Jubilee and Jean were still asleep. Instinctively, he pulled a spare blanket around his wife and propped her head up on a pillow. She moaned gently, then returned to stillness. In the dark, he moved closer to the patient's body and peered over her.

He observed the girl to be adolescent, no more than fifteen or sixteen, and she had Asian features written across her face. Her jet black hair was thrown in every which way. Her forehead was bandaged from a seemingly nasty blow. As he looked closer, he noticed a thin pale line on her neck. _A scar_, he thought. The girl seemed badly beaten, though Scott gathered from what he was told that she hadn't hit that hard. Or at least that was what Shannon had informed him. The possibility of child abuse flittered across his thoughts. He clenched his fists in disgust.

A shuffling from the doorway caught his attention. As he looked over, someone whispered, "Sir, you're not supposed to be in here. Visiting hours are during the daytime."

"Shannon?" Scott whispered back.

"Yes? Oh, Scott, is that you?"

"Yeah, I came for Jean."

"Oh, all right, would you like to take her home for the rest of the night?"

"Yeah, that's what I came here for…"

A different voice spoke up this time. "Well, I'm not going home 'til I find out who this girl is." Scott turned to find his wife awake and stretching in the chair. "A social worker is going to drop by in the morning."

Scott walked over to her and put an arm on her shoulder. "You're awake."

A grunting noise came from the bed as Jubilee moaned, "She's not the only one."

Shannon flipped on the lights and walked over to the patient who drowsily sat up. "Where am I?"

Shannon placed a comforting hand on Jubilee's, though the young girl pulled hers away, and replied, "New York Memorial Hospital. Do you remember what happened?"

"Wha?" Jubilee asked disoriented momentarily. "Oh… no. I woke up and there were people. Jean was here…" Jubilee trailed off, suddenly remembering that _this_ Jean didn't know her.

"I still am, dear." Jean said as she stood up and walked over to her bedside. Jubilee observed another figure behind Jean.

Jubilee eyed this new person back carefully. Curiously, she furrowed her eyebrows examining the strangely familiar man. Then it clicked suddenly as she recognized a Scott Summers looking back at her - _without_ his visors. Jubilee gave a yelp and backed as far away from him as the bed would let her.

The three adults stood back surprised giving the patient some space. Scott felt uncomfortable at having scared a child; he'd never pictured himself as a scary guy. A few seconds passed by as Jubilee continued to wince. Before long, she realized nothing was happening. She looked up at Scott in awe.

"Scott?" she hesitated, unsure if she was correct.

The Cyclops-look-alike observed her suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Where are your visors?" Jubilee asked confused.

"Excuse me?"

Jubilee fell silent and stared at him for a while. Shannon was paged to leave and that left Scott and Jean alone with Jubilee. After a moment of staring at each other, Jubilee couldn't suppress it any longer and finally blurted out, "You have brown eyes!"

"Um… Yes, that's correct," Scott replied carefully tightening his protective grip over Jean's shoulders.

"You don't know me?" Jubilee whispered. It was more of a statement than a question. She needed to hear the answer nevertheless.

Scott felt a little uncomfortable beneath the glare of this girl's expressionless face. "I'm afraid not," he stated firmly.

"Jean?" she called out without taking her eyes off of Scott.

"Yes, Jubilee?" Jean placed a nervous hand on the railing of the bed.

"Scan my mind," she demanded.

"What?"

Jubilee fixed her glare over to Jean. "You two have _no idea_ what I'm talking about?"

"No," Jean admitted sorrowfully. "I don't understand… how do you know us?"

"Apparently I don't." Jubilee paused for a moment and thought. She muttered something about a 'freakin twilight zone'. "So," she began again, "you're not mutants?"

"Mutants?" Scott raised an eyebrow at her.

"A mutant…" Jean answered carefully as though she were reciting out of a book, "is a genetically altered being, a manifested change is contained in its DNA."

"Right… I think." Jubilee paused again and thought of her next question. "Do you know any mutants?"

"Well, sure," Jean replied. "There are plenty of people with down syndrome, sickle-cell, even something as minor as color blindness. Mutants are all around us."

"No," Jubilee said frustratedly. "That's _not_ what I mean! I mean, fast healers, like _super_ fast. Or, or people who fly. Or someone who has, like, DNA that blocks myostatin or _something_!"

"Myostatin?" Jean replied skeptically as Scott's faced reflected his lack of knowledge on the subject. "Someone with super strength?" Jean asked.

"Yes!" Jubilee exclaimed, slightly relieved. _Finally_, something she accidentally learned in genetics class _actually_ paid off. Unfortunately, her relief was short lived.

"Well," Jean replied, slightly perked by the topic at hand and babbled on. "There have been rare cases of 'super strength' found in very few people, but the extent of their 'super strength' has more limitations than benefits. Being able to lift heavier weights isn't exactly a good trade off for over-sized heart muscle. In fact, it can be dangerous, leading to early death-"

"Ugh!" Jubilee's cry cut her off abruptly. Jean looked slightly offended, and for that, Jubilee felt a little bad. She took a few deep breaths before continuing. "That's not what I meant either," she said, in a tired voice. Two blank faces stared back at the teen. _Great_, Jubilee thought. _They think I'm psycho._

She considered showing them her power for a brief second, but decided against it. In a world where it seemed no true mutants existed, she was completely aware of what could happen if she exposed herself. Being a guinea pig for some top-secret government laboratory happened to _not_ be on her bucket list.

Instead, she shifted the subject grumpily, "What time is it?"

"Almost six o'clock in the morning," Scott answered as he glanced at his watch.

Jean thought back for a moment. "Listen, Jubilee, a social worker is coming in at eight."

"Why?" Jubilee replied.

"Well, your parents…" Jean trailed off suddenly, feeling uncomfortable at bringing up the fact that the teen was an orphan.

"I don't need a social worker," Jubilee told them in a hardened voice, realizing they felt sorry for her.

Jean and Scott watched her carefully. Jean seemed to be able to let the topic slide. She quickly glanced at her watch again and sighed. "I'll be back in a moment."

With that, Jubilee and Scott were left alone.

For a moment, they both remained still in an uneasy silence.

"So," Scott started awkwardly, "Jubilee, huh? Interesting name."

"I guess," Jubilee replied, fiddling with her sheets. "I think my parents were bigger patriots than Uncle Sam."

Scott chuckled and smiled at her. She raised an eyebrow at him. He seemed a lot less anal _without_ his visors.

"So, Jubilee, what's your story?" he asked. "I mean, how'd you end up here?"

"Well, see, when a man loves a woman-" she began while rolling her eyes.

"You know what I meant," he said in a more Cyclopsy manner.

She peered back at him. Now _that_ was the Scott she knew. "I don't know," she replied honestly after a few seconds. "I just woke up, and here I was."

"You don't remember anything?"

"It's all kind of _hazy_ right now, dude."

Scott seemed uneasy about the next question he wanted to ask. Thankfully, Jubilee spoke before him.

"Well, what's _your_ story," Jubilee demanded, turning the tables on him.

Scott let another sly smile slip. True to their nature, orphans would never agree to share their histories. After all, _he _would know. "Well, since you seem to know so much about me and my wife already, then how about _you_ tell _me_? What's my story?"

"Scott, I don't know your story anymore." At her somewhat sad and uneasy statement, Scott wasn't sure how to respond.

He thought for a moment. "What's your _full_ name," he asked her.

"Jubilation Lee, but if you call me that, I'll break you."

"Where do you live?"

"In Westchester," she replied carefully. But that wasn't right; her head began to swim. Suddenly, she remembered she lived elsewhere. "No wait, I live in Massachusetts now. I used to live in New York, but then I was transferred."

"Transferred?"

"Yeah, to a new school."

"So you're a boarding student?"

"I guess," Jubilee replied. She hadn't really considered that being X-Man would make her, or anyone else, a boarding student. The thought of Wolverine in a schoolboy outfit made her smile. "Maybe more like a ward of the school."

In a more gentler tone, he asked, "So who takes care of you?"

"It used to be Professor Xavier, and now it's Ms. Frost and Mr. Cassidy."

Scott took a mental note to write those names down soon. He paused before asking, "Do they hurt you?"

Jubilee's eyes went wide in surprise. "What? No way, I mean, yeah sometimes our sparring sessions can get a little tough, and Frosty is a grouch, and Cassidy drinks sometimes… But they'd never, like, hurt me. What made you think that?"

"Calm down," Scott tried to soothe her. "I just wondered about the injuries you're sustaining."

Jubilee stammered for a moment, not wanting to give away too much information to this reality. "I… well, sometimes it can _hurt_ to be hit by a car."

"No, I'm not talking about those injuries. I mean the scar on your neck."

"Oh... I've always had that," Jubilee lied. "I fell off my bike when I was a kid." She was pretty sure _that_ scar was from a run-in with Sabertooth. Or maybe it was from a scuffle in the Danger Grotto. Or was the Danger Grotto scar the one on her back? Who could really be sure in the life of an X-Man? Explaining that long-forgotten story would probably make non-mutant Scott's brain fry out.

Scott seemed to have caught her lie and watched her in disbelief. Jubilee tried not to melt underneath his glare.

Quickly trying to change the subject, she asked, "What's the date?"

"April 4th," he replied.

So she was in the right timeline at least, she realized. But perhaps not quite the right reality.

Just then Jean returned and practically fell into the chair tiredly. Jubilee watched, feeling like an intruder, as Scott walked over to her and wrapped the blanket back around her. "You want to go home?" he asked her gently.

"No," she replied, "If want to wait and make sure Jubilee's going to be taken care of." Jean looked over to Jubilee and smiled.

Jubilee tried to smile back, but failed. The thought of running away from this hospital popped into her mind. But she was well aware that she would not last long in her condition at the moment. She watched as Jean fell asleep in Scott's arms. Then she watched as Scott fell asleep after. She herself, lay back down, but did not fall asleep right away. She stared at the ceiling for quite a while, pleading with all her might to wake up from this world she knew nothing of.

She allowed herself to imagine a dramatic rescue and reunion by the X-Men. How long would she have to wait? And as long as she was here, where would she go? Was she all alone? The last thought she had as she drifted away was whether or not there was anyone else in this world from hers.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Lady Shadowfire, you have an impeccable memory. There were exactly three terribly written chapters posted. I took them down, thank God, so no prying eyes could see the poison that once leaked out of my brain. Alas, there's no need for you to worry, as I have the next two chapters already written and waiting patiently to be posted. I also know _exactly_ how I want to end this.

Furthermore, I wish to assure all two of my readers that despite the fact that we haven't seen him yet, Remy Lebeau plays a huge part in this story. The reason these first two chapters seem drawn out is that I needed to give Jubilee some kind of history. So feel free to like or dislike, flame or praise. Whatever you wish is fine with me.

And, with that, so continues our story of a lost girl in New York.

**New York Memorial Hospital  
Monday, April 4****th****, 7:58 am**

Eight o'clock finally rolled around and Jubilee sat in nervous anticipation in her bed at New York Memorial Hospital. She had spent the last hour planning out her story to tell the social worker. So far, no good ideas were popping into her head. As great a liar she was, there was no way she could make it through this while make it seem sensible later on.

Jean Grey Summers – the 'Strange Jean', as Jubilee had mentally dubbed, not the _real_ one - had woken up from her one-hour nap and was groggily groping around for coffee. In that time, the kind Nurse Shannon had come in to disconnect Jubilee from the rest of the intrusive machinery. Scott Summers, that is, 'Strange Scott', was feverishly writing on a notepad, occasionally throwing a friendly glance at her. While Jubilee appreciated his kind efforts, she was thoroughly creeped out. Strange Scott needed to stop it, or she was going to puke again.

As the wall clock struck 8:05, Scott stood up straight from where he sat snugly in one of the hospital's chairs. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. Now, _that_ looked more like the Scott Summers Jubilee knew. She smirked.

"That social worker's late," he yawned.

Jean rested a hand on his shoulder and said, "Only by five minutes, don't worry. There's probably some traffic."

Jubilee scoffed suddenly. "At eight in the morning?"

Jean shrugged, accepting that the teen would probably find other ways to pick on the social worker. Her heart ached for children who grew up in an often bitter system of foster care. "Well, everyone's on their way to work," she reasoned with a soft smile. "It is Monday, after all."

"Where I come from, we _live_ at work," she muttered loud enough only for herself to hear. Frustration at this unspectacular world was budding up inside her.

Scott eyed the girl for a moment and wrote something else into his notepad. Jubilee raised an eyebrow at his actions and snapped, "Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" Scott asked surprised.

"Writing in your stupid notebook every time I do something!"

"Jubilee," Jean interrupted, a little too kindly. "Try to keep it down a notch."

"Fine," she mumbled to herself apparently forgetting why she had yelled at Scott. It was amazing how _this_ Jean was still able to boss her around as well.

Suddenly there was a knock at the open door. "Hello?" a female voice called into the room. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course," Jean greeted the social worker warmly as Jubilee gritted her teeth in anticipation. Why did social workers have to exist in this world too?

The social worker stepped inside and introduced herself as Judy Bradley. She seemed about in her mid-forties, with graying hair tied back in far-too-tight bun. She wore a plain dark blue skirt and a flowered blouse to match. She was a little shorter than Jean, give or take an inch. Jubilee, true to her mallrat self, immediately sized up the woman before her. It was plain to see that she and social workers had never gotten along.

After formal introductions between the Summers and Mrs. Bradley, all eyes gradually turned to the subject at hand: Jubilee.

"And this must be my new project," Mrs. Bradley stated in the direction of Jubilee.

Jubilee stared unblinkingly at the social worker for a few seconds. _Project_? Yeah, right. "You're late," the young girl accused.

"I apologize, my dear," Mrs. Bradley explained in a not-so-sorry tone, as Jean broke into an amused smile while Jubilee continued to scowl, "There was traffic on the way."

"All right, Jubilee," Jean said softly, "Mrs. Bradley is going to ask you some questions. Would you feel more comfortable if Scott and I stayed?"

"Do what you want," Jubilee replied, "I'm not staying here long anyway."

"All right, Jubilee," Scott reassured her uneasily. "We'll stay." At his words, Jubilee felt strangely comforted though she refused to show it.

The three adults took their seats next to Jubilee, Scott and Jean on the right side of Jubilee's bed, and Mrs. Bradley on the left. Jubilee noticeably scooted herself as far away from Mrs. Bradley as possible.

"Are we all settled?" Mrs. Bradley asked. After no hesitation, she continued. "Good, now let me explain how this works-"

"I know the drill," Jubilee interrupted.

"Ok, Jubilee," Mrs. Bradley replied, her patience wearing a little thin. "I can see that you're no stranger to the system."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. How much longer did she really have to put up with this?

"Mr. Summers here is a police officer at the NYPD. He's made some a few notes for me to go over after I question you."

Jubilee looked at Scott surprised. "I didn't know you were a cop," she said cautiously setting up her defenses in his direction. Terrific, she thought, one of the only familiar faces she can recognize is a cop.

"Perhaps we don't know each other as well as we thought?" he suggested gently to Jubilee, not wishing to offend her.

"Can we move on?" Mrs. Bradley interrupted softly. "May I have your full name?"

"Jubation Lee," she replied.

"No middle name or anything?"

"No."

"How old are you?"

"Almost sixteen."

"When you were born?"

"The name didn't give it away?" Jubilee smirked. "Independence Day."

"Parents?" Mrs. Bradley asked, erasing one of her notes.

"Jon and Joy Lee."

"And where are they?"

"Six feet under at Beverly Hills Cemetery."

"Ok, Jubilee," she continued. "I don't want to make this difficult on you, but-"

"It's not," Jubilee interrupted, face hardened.

"Can you tell me when they died?"

"May 26, when I was twelve."

"All right, how did they die?"

"Car crash," Jubilee said. It wasn't a complete lie; after all, that's what the official records stated.

"And who is your primary caregiver?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"Teachers," Jubilee replied.

"Did they have _names_?" Mrs. Bradley asked, tapping her pen a little impatiently.

Jubilee seriously contemplated whether or not to give their names. She wasn't sure if they were still her guardians in this reality. "Sean Cassidy and Emma Frost."

"And where are they now?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"I don't know," Jubilee shook her head. Her recent memories seemed to be such a blur.

"Mrs. Bradley," Jean interrupted, "I thought the doctor explained to you that she's having trouble remembering recent events. She hit her head last night."

"We'll come back to that then," Mrs. Bradley said. "In the meantime, my main concern is where she's been up until now and whether she's receiving adequate care."

"Adequate care?" Jubilee refused to believe that this woman was capable of seeking any type of care above mediocre standards. "I'm not a puppy."

"Where did you stay after your parents died?" Mrs. Bradley ignored Jubilee's statement.

"Foster homes. Then to a SoCal Juvie Hall. Then wherever."

"You're from California?" Mrs. Bradley raised an eyebrow. "No one mentioned you were from the west coast."

Jubilee shrugged. "No one asked."

"I think we're getting ahead of ourselves," Mrs. Bradley remarked, her voice a little intense. "Let's back track. How did you end up in Juvenile Hall?"

Jubilee smirked again. "I think you mean to ask what I did to deserve it," she corrected Mrs. Bradley, who pursed her lips in slight annoyance at the teenager's arrogance.

"Along those lines," she replied.

"They thought I was stealing," Jubilee replied, "which I _wasn't_. At least not yet anyway. After that, no one would take me. The orphanage was overbooked, but _lucky me_, there was plenty enough room in Juvie."

Jean and Scott shared a worried glance at each other as Mrs. Bradley kept going.

"And when did you leave the Juvenile Detention Center?"

"About two weeks after I was sent in," Jubilee beamed proudly.

"Hm," Mrs. Bradley gave a small sniff, and Jubilee could sense the condescension emanating from her.

"What?" Jubilee asked, as Mrs. Bradley shook her head and took a few more notes. "You act like I was something _terrible_. I'll tell you what's terrible, it's a place like _that_! There's no way I would've voluntarily stayed."

"So you admit you ran away?" Mrs. Bradley accused.

"Hey," Jubilee scolded the older woman, "I'm not the _only_ one who has ever run away from a bad place."

"Did I say that?" Mrs. Bradley challenged. Before giving Jubilee a chance to continue, she asked, "Where did you stay once you were out?"

Jubilee didn't answer right away. "Places," she muttered.

"Can you be more specific?"

"No," Jubilee grunted.

Mrs. Bradley gave a weary sigh. This young lady was proving to be one of her more difficult cases. "Can you explain how you came to New York?"

"Ever heard of hitchhiking?" It wasn't _technically_ considered a lie if she presented it in a question, Jubilee thought.

Mrs. Bradley looked at her unbelievingly. For a moment, Jubilee held her breath.

"You _hitchhiked_," Mrs. Bradley repeated, unbelievingly.

"Sure."

"From California."

"Yep."

"In a car?"

"That's usually how it works."

"_All_ the way to New York?"

"Well, of course not," Jubilee rolled her eyes again. "You can't do it in just one car ride. You gotta stop along the way."

The corners of Jubilee's mouth twitched up into a small smirk at Mrs. Bradley slight frustration.

"So you hitchhiked," Mrs. Bradley shook her head at the obvious lie. "And when you got here?"

"A school took me in," Jubliee replied, suddenly looking down and fidgeting with her blankets.

"A School?" Mrs. Bradley repeated again, as though it were not possible this child had any schooling whatsoever.

"Yeah, _school_," Jubilee retorted. "Where people go to _learn_." She took a few extra seconds to sound out the last word, as though Mrs. Bradley was incapable of modern vocabulary.

Mrs. Bradley ignored her attempts. "What School?"

"Charles Xavier's School for the Gifted." Jubilee stated. "The Professor became my guardian. And I attended that school there for a while." Jubilee could see clearly that Mrs. Brown did not believe she belonged in a school, let alone for the 'gifted'. She was certainly _not _enjoying this session.

"So tell me a little bit about this school," Mrs. Bradley continued.

"He had a staff of special teachers for me. Most of the people at the school there were adults. I was taught by the adults, who were taught by the Professor."

"Ok," Mrs. Bradley sighed. "So Professor Charles Xavier was your guardian at some point. When did these teachers, this Emelia Frost and Sean Catherdy-"

"_Emma_ Frost, and Sean _Cassidy_," Jubilee reiterated exasperatedly.

"-become your current Guardians?" Mrs. Bradley finished as though Jubilee had not interrupted.

Jubilee shook her head. "When I was transferred to a different school."

"Transferred? Why?"

Jubilee sighed. "The Professor said one of the biggest reasons was he wanted me to be with kids my own age, which is ridiculous when you think about it, because everyone's like _two years_ older than I am. The whole idea is supposed to teach me how to harness what I learn and make use of it." Jubilee paused. "After I graduate, they said I get to move back to the Professor's."

"What school were you transferred to?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"The Massachusetts Academy, Xavier's School for gifted Youngsters."

"So he owns this school as well?"

"Yeah. But Frost owns the mansion."

"Are you happy there?" Jean asked suddenly. Scott seemed eager to hear Jubilee's reaction to the question.

"Well," Jubilee blinked and thought hard. "I-I wasn't at first. But I am now, I guess. I'll admit it will be great to move back to New York."

"Answer me this, then," Mrs. Bradley challenged. "If you _live_ in Massachusetts, why are you here? In New York?"

Jubilee's eyebrows furrowed. "What? I can't visit the only other family I've known since my parents died?"

"So you're on vacation?" Scott interrupted. "Visiting from Massachusetts?"

"I guess I am," Jubilee replied. Her head was beginning to throb at the swelling memories. "I mean, I must be, right?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else. Why was she here anyway?

"Where are they?" Scott asked concernedly. "If they're supposed to be caring for you, where are they? Why haven't they come looking for you?"

Jubilee felt hot tears stinging as she peered into his strange brown orbs and replied quite honestly, "I don't know."

"Why don't we come back to this later?" Scott offered. Jean nodded agreeing with her husband.

"I believe that's a good idea, Mr. Summers," Mrs. Bradley said, also seemingly relieved that this session was over. "Mr. Summers, may I have a moment with you?"

"Of course, ma'am," Scott followed her out of the room.

Jubilee let out a sigh once the social worker stepped out of the room. Closing her eyes, she wondered whether the child services system in _this _reality was worse than the one in hers. Either way, she had no intentions of staying long enough to find out.

**Outside the Patient Room  
Monday, April 4****th****, 8:33 am**

"And she didn't mention anything else?" Mrs. Bradley asked.

"She said more just now than she did earlier this morning," Scott replied as he yawned.

"And why have you chosen to become involved in this particular case?"

"The kid's got so many scars. I've dealt with enough cases to see the signs. Although…" Scott paused for a moment. "She didn't mention anything that seemed alarming about the recent care she's had. Except for the fact that whoever is supposed to be watching over her hasn't bothered to come looking for her."

"Many children that have gone through as much as she has often learn to lie well."

"No, that's not it," Scott argued. "There were several points in her story that are _definitely_ lies. Like she was making it up, or changing it. But then when she spoke of the schools she's attended, she sounded… almost like she felt like she _belonged_."

"Denial is often the case, Mr. Summers," Mrs. Bradley said simply. "Some children make themselves believe what's not actually true."

"I understand what you're trying to say, Ma'am, but I don't know." He yawned again.

She continued, "I'm not even sure she actually _attended _a school, let alone one for the gifted."

That was a low blow in Scott's mind. "You don't think she attended school?"

"Mr. Summers," Mrs. Bradley gave him a stern look, "Does she honestly seem to you like someone who goes to school?"

"Why not?" Scott replied, remembering Jubilee's rant about genetic mutation. "When we were talking to her earlier this morning, she seemed pretty well-educated to me."

"Don't buy into that," Mrs. Bradley warned. "She'll reel you in. Kids like this? I've seen it all the time. They make up a happy place, and it becomes real to them and they'll reel you into their imagination."

"Mrs. Bradley, I believe we're on opposite ends of the spectrum." His tone told her their argument was over. "What's going to happen to her?"

"Well," Mrs. Bradley started, "First we're going to try to contact her guardians, _if they exist_. If all ends well, they'll handle her hospital bills, and take her home pending an investigation by child services."

Scott nodded and asked, "Can you keep us updated on what goes on with her, that is, until she's safe at her school?"

"As one of her doctors, I'm sure your wife can keep an eye on her until she's out of here."

"Thanks for your time," Scott replied grimly. Without another word, he left her standing there.

**Jubilee's Room  
Monday, April 4****th****, 8:40am**

"So, Jubilee," Jean started while Scott and the social worker were outside. "What's your school for?"

"What do you mean?" Jubilee asked, turning on her side in the bed, trying to rip one of her bandages off.

Jean patiently took hold of her patient's hand to stop her and continued. "The school you go to. It's a school for the gifted. What kind of gift do you need to get into the school?"

"Oh, I-," Jubilee stammered, "-I don't know. Chuck gave me a practical exam. I took it. I got in."

"Oh?" Jean queried. "Chuck? Chuck is the Charlies Xavier you spoke of?"

"Yeah, him. Wolvie got me calling him that," Jubilee smiled fondly.

Jean had to smile when she saw Jubilee's proud expression. "_Wolvie_?"

"Uh, yeah," Jubilee laughed nervously. How was she going to explain that one? "It's a nickname for my best buddy there. He's more like a… a Dad, I guess."

"So," Jean continued, happy to see the teenager smile. "Tell me about him."

"Aw, he's the best! Not everyone thinks so, but no one knows him like I do. He's one of the nicest guys you'd ever meet…" she paused for a moment. "Well, okay, maybe not the _nicest_…"

Jean smiled along with Jubilee. "Sounds like he'd be a great candidate for a father. So why isn't _he_ your guardian?"

"He's not really in a position to be taking me in legally," Jubilee replied lamely. Jean noted that the smile fell from her face.

Jean understood without asking that Jubilee wished to remain off the subject.

"So tell me. What do you do at the school? What do they teach? Anything special?"

"I suppose," Jubilee replied nervously. "We learn martial arts, and normal school stuff like math. But we also go deeper into that whole science thing. Like, _a lot_ deeper."

"Oh really?" Jean asked suddenly very interested. "I would've loved to study science on a deep level when I was your age."

_Great_, Jubilee thought, _Except you _did_ study the same stuff I'm learning now…_

"Yeah," Jubilee continued, her smile fading. "Wolvie's gone a lot though. And now that I have to stay in Massachusetts 'til I graduate, he doesn't go home as much. That's why I take these trips sometimes, I think. To see everyone. To visit home."

"Hopefully then Mrs. Bradley can get you back to where you belong," Jean suggested.

Jubilee's face fell. There was no way Mrs. Bradley could _possibly_ be able to put Jubilee back in her own world. In fact, Jubilee was sure that Mrs. Bradley could do nothing more than make her current situation worse. There was no way her story could possibly line up with this timeline. She was glad she'd left out her trip to Australia and traipsing after the Wolverine throughout Asia. That would only make her look like a pathological liar, which could land her back in Juvie or the Foster Care System, or even an institution for the mentally ill. There was _no way_ Jubilee was going back to either of those. She had to find a way out of this hospital before that issue would arise.

"There's more though," Jean remarked, interrupting Jubilee's private thoughts. "I can tell."

Perhaps Strange Jean wasn't a telepath, but she was definitely empathetic on a human level. Jubilee smiled inwardly, but didn't respond to the woman's prodding.

"You can tell me, you know?" Jean whispered. "If you're in trouble or need help, you can tell me. Scott and I – we'll do our best to help."

Jubilee took her words in genuinely. But she knew she couldn't confide in her.

"No," Jubilee replied very seriously. She averted her eyes from the caring woman before her. "I really can't."

Jean was suddenly aware that whatever mysteries lay in Jubilees past had forced her to grow up too fast.

**Jubilee's Hospital Room  
Monday, April 4****th****, 2:15 pm**

Later in the afternoon, Jubilee lay wide awake and tired in her hospital bed. The Summers had long retreated to their home during mid-morning and said their good-byes to Jubilee for the time being. Jubilee refused the offering of her cardboard lunch, and of course, who could blame her? Knowing full-well her story would definitely not flow with this apparently alternate timeline, she was busy planning her escape. But where would she go?

As her headaches began to fade, she was becoming aware of the true extent of her problem. She could think of a couple people who would be great to turn to – in her world anyway. Unfortunately, in this one, she wasn't so sure. Where would they be? _What_ would they be?

_Cyclops_ is a leader and enforcer. _Strange Scott_ is a police officer.

_Jean Grey_ is a motherly healer. _Strange Jean_ is a kind doctor.

Coincidence? Although they each live in an opposite universe, both sides of each person still seemed to have the same core.

_Gambit_ is, or was, a thief. Jubilee was willing to bet that _Strange Remy Lebeau_ still runs along the same sticky path. Perhaps he might even be running with the same thieving crowd.

Jubilee knew Beast would scold her if she based her theory on solely two subjects, but this was no time to be failing another Laboratory experiment.

Her next question was harder. Did the Thieves Guild exist in _this_ world as well?

**New York Child Services  
Monday, April 4****th****, 2:45 pm**

Judy Bradley had just hung up the phone for the fifth time today, frustrated.

Previous calls were made to an Emma Frost and Charles Xavier, both of whom were equally confused. Emma Frost did indeed live in Massachusetts, but was _not _a teacher. She was a powerful business tycoon, and a social elitist. Charles Xavier, although rich and powerful as well, was an advocate for human equality. Sean Cassidy? Judy Bradley couldn't locate a Sean Cassidy in Massachusetts or New York.

Furthermore, it did not take too much research for Mrs. Bradley to find a Jon and Joy Lee, both of whom were _alive_ and well, living in Beverly Hills, California. How was it that nearly every name the teenager brought up seemed to root from a real people, yet people who had no idea who she was? "A problem child," Mrs. Bradley thought out loud as she sighed heavily. "A lying, problem child."

So here she was, sitting at her desk in the offices of social services, trying to piece together the case of a lying, identity-less juvenile delinquent. And Judy Bradley surely wasn't having fun. After doing a thorough search through the list of parent-less delinquents, she still found no answer to the case. No child in the system of New York, Massachusetts, or California fit the description of a fifteen-year-old blue-eyed Asian. In all likelihood, the matter would soon be brought up with the police.

Because Jubilation Lee simply did _not_ exist.

**Jubilee's Hospital Room  
Monday, April 4****th****, 4:07 pm**

Jubilee had not long ago forced herself out of bed to walk on her sore legs. Her clothing had been placed on a shelf in the room, thankfully, and she stealthily maneuvered to put them on. She slipped her nightshirt and jeans on careful of her wrapped wrist and hurting body.

"Of all the times to get hit by a car," she complained to herself.

Just as she finished agonizing over tying her shoelaces, she heard Mrs. Bradley's annoyingly condescending voice drifting in from somewhere outside her door.

"Gig's up!" Jubilee said to herself, and pursed her lips tight in a grim line. Mrs. Bradley was speaking to several people, it sounded. Strange Scott and Strange Jean weren't here at the hospital anymore, so it couldn't possibly be anyone friendly.

She mustered up courage and brought herself to peer through the doorway of the hospital room, she wasn't surprised to find down the hall to her left the source of her current peeves: Mrs. Bradley, two officers, and the bald doctor in conversation. Her warrior instinct kicked in at that moment, and she sized up her opponents. Mrs. Bradley wouldn't be a problem. The police officers looked a little chubby, but in Jubilee's experience chubby people in uniform _can_ run if they put their minds to it. And Dr. Jerk looked a little too fit for Jubilee's comfort.

She looked off to her right, where the kind Nurse Shannon was attending a desk. Just beyond her was an elevator. Taking the stairs in her condition would probably draw more attention than she would like. But blending in while others were getting on would certainly do the trick.

Casually, she slipped out of the room unnoticed as a patient and his parents passed by, suddenly thankful for Gambit's training sessions.

It couldn't really be _this_ easy, could it? She smiled cockily to herself.

Behind her, muffled voices expressed excitement as they entered the room of their missing patient.

Forcing herself not to turn around, she trudged a little faster and reached her destination. Unfortunately, the doctor caught sight of Jubilee just as she slipped into the elevator with a group of people.

"Stop that elevator!" came his booming authoritative cry. Her heart sank as one of the people in the elevator unfortunately heard the damned doctor and stopped the doors just before they closed.

Jubilee took this precise moment to bolt out of the elevator and scuffle off into the opposite direction of her newly sworn enemies. Being slowed down by her injuries and hospital obstacles in the way, she found her annoyance increasing exponentially. The officers were catching up to her, sprinting quite fast for chubby men.

Using quick thinking, she ducked down came to a quick halt to let the officers pass her and slip forward as they tried to stop. Jubilee immediately sprinted the other way and turned down another hallway.

"_Don't hurt her!_" she heard Nurse Shannon's voice call out. Jubilee didn't have time to feel grateful for the concern, however. The officers were now back on her tail.

"Fine!" she yelled at them over her shoulder, not caring about the people who heard her. "You wanna do this the _hard_ way?"

The pains from her bruises were starting to get to her. In a crash, she fell as one of the security guards pulled her to the ground. His arms were wrapped around her so tight that she started hurting again. Jubilee cried out in pain and the officer loosened his grip. She screamed out ferociously and kicked upwards at the officers approaching to hold her down. She then twisted out of the security guard's grip and flipped over the other officer with her good arm.

She didn't hesitate and took off again. She caught sight of a screened window and headed straight for it. She _really_ hoped she was on the first floor.

She ended up shoving an unfortunate nurse out of the way, and reached the window. Peering back, she noticed the tangle of officers trying to pull themselves off the floor. One couldn't seem to get up; she hadn't meant to injure him _that_ badly.

Quickly, she shoved the window, adrenaline not allowing her to feel pain. No time to soak in physical agony. She looked outside again.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me!" she exclaimed at the sight. They were four stories up. But there was a tree, and Jubilee was willing to take the chance at this moment.

Just as she was about the set foot on the window, someone grabbed her from behind and pulled her to the floor. She let the mini-wolverine inside of her out, kicking and screaming, twisting out from under captor, then kicking his face and rendering him momentarily stunned. She caught eye of the jerky doctor who held a needle in his hand.

"Sorry, bub," she grinned at him, gesturing at the needle. "I don't plan on staying for _that_ prescription."

She considered using her powers, but wisely decided against it. She made a beeline towards the doctor and thrust her foot upward towards the doctor's hand causing the needle to land down the hallway. She then punched the doctor in the stomach with her good arm, aware of the officer behind her. She ducked when he tried to grip her, did a turn-about kick, and knocked him out cold. She headed for the window once more and kicked the security guard on the floor just to be sure.

As the orderlies gasped, she hopped out of the window and grabbed onto a branch. She hung there in pain for just a few milliseconds, this time the adrenaline not being enough to cloud the pain. She forced herself to forget her wrist and started swinging one arm in front of the other towards the trunk of the tree.

She heard several frantic voices.

_"Go downstairs!" _

_"She's headed outside!" _

_"Don't let her get away!"_

"_She's going to fall!"_

She agonizingly made it to the trunk and started to shimmy down the tree as fast as possible. Jubilee wasn't aware of how long it took to do this, but it seemed like it took longer than it should have. She fell a few feet to the floor and gasped slightly. Hearing shouts, she turned and saw the distant uniforms heading towards her.

In an instant, she was on her feet sprinting towards the busy streets of New York City, the adrenaline pumping through her veins and drowning out any sign of pain. It was a good twenty minutes of alternate ducking and sprinting, when she'd proudly shaken off her pursuers. She was pleased to find that her skills as a cop-evading-mallrat had not worn off in her time with the X-Men.

Panting, she took a seat on the stoop of a card shop and took time to catch her breath, _very_ thankful for all the times Sean Cassidy had forced her to train without using powers.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And because I'm so damn nice, have another chapter.

**New York Card Shop Stoop: Jubilee  
Monday, April 4****th****, 4:38 pm**

Jubilation Lee sat resting at the card shop's stoop, remembering why it was she and police had never gotten along. She gingerly touched her wrist. It definitely _wasn't_ broken. Maybe sprained. She peeled off the annoying brace and rubbed her thumb along the inside part of her arm and winced. So perhaps tree-climbing wasn't exactly something one should do in her condition. Sighing at its swollen size she placed it back securely into the hospital-provided brace.

The streets caught her attention as a police car rounded the corner towards the stoop where she sat. Acting completely casual, she got up and walked into card shop as though it were something she'd done every day.

She entered the card shop at the sound of a ring above the door. The place was pretty fancy for a New York small business. She had a feeling that cards and collector's toys weren't exactly this shop's big sellers; she was willing to bet that they were funded by something more on the illegal side. She walked carefully through the aisles of basketball, baseball and football cards until she reached a mighty impressive display of 52-card decks. Jubilee ran her right hand along the glass covering over the gold-plated decks and bit her lip fighting temptation to take them while the card shop worker was watching her.

These were _definitely_ up Gambit's alley, and she smiled sadly suddenly reminded of the need to go home.

The card shop worker with slicked back hair in his late twenties had looked up as the bell above the entrance rang and notified him of a customer's presence. He noted as she entered casually a young Asian girl, not more than the age of fifteen, in an oversized blue baseball t-shirt and jeans. He eyed her carefully as she slowly made her way to the glass case with the collector's items and card decks. He saw a look in her eyes, a look that he knew very well firsthand, expressing the urge to steal a fine looking deck like that. And who could blame her, really? At least she had taste.

"Mighty nice cards, aren't they, Miss?" he spoke up to her from behind the counter.

"I'll say," Jubilee responded not taking her eyes off the glass case.

The man leaned against the counter, curious of the girl's intentions. "You into cards?"

"Would I be here if I wasn't?" Jubilee replied.

"Maybe. Or maybe yer just lookin' for a five finger discount?" the man queried calmly.

At that, Jubilee turned to him. "I didn't come here to steal," she said sternly. "It just so happens, I take for _need_, not _greed_."

The man stared at her unblinkingly. Suspicion flared inside him immediately at her response. He fingered the pocketknife that was safely tucked away in his pocket. "You got _friends_?" he asked suddenly very serious, emphasizing the last word.

"Not really," she replied suddenly aware she was on gang territory. No wonder there was so much nice stuff; it was probably all nicked from someone else. "But I'm protected by association," she lied warning him not to mess with her.

"Yeah? Well it turns out I happen to be part of a very dominant group in New York, and chances are your association won't save you if I decide I don't like you."

Jubilee smirked. This guy was riding a really high horse.

About then a boy a little older than Jubilee came in and began rummaging around the baseball section. The worker and Jubilee both decided to ignore him.

"Ever hear of the _Guild_?" Jubilee challenged never able to back away from a fight. "I bet you have once or twice..."

"The - _Guild_?" the man stuttered, his facial expression turning to slight fear.

Jubilee smiled interestedly. So the Guild _does_ exist in this world too.

The man quickly recovered from his surprise as he lowered his voice, "Wait a minute, kid. I don't know what kind of game you're tryin' to play here, but the Guild is currently focusing its operations elsewhere."

"Oh really?" Jubilee asked stepping up closer to the anxious man. "Are you sure that's not what they _want_ you to think? Are you sure they're not just… _lurking_ around New York? Perhaps on a private business matter that doesn't concern the likes of your _pitiful_ group of wannabe mobsters?"

The young customer who was rummaging around the baseball section just then left the store, seemingly out of boredom.

"Now listen here, kid," he stated to Jubilee sternly deciding not to take a chance, "I don't want any trouble. Just don't lay a hand on my stuff, and everythin'll be fine."

"Fine," Jubilee agreed. "But just so ya know, that kid that just walked in here empty handed, just walked out with several pretty nice Joe DiMaggio cards." Jubilee smiled sweetly to him.

The man stood up straight suddenly and ran over to the baseball section, checking for missing cards. Sure enough, there were quite a few missing. He cried out an expletive Jubilee had once been grounded for using. He ran to the door and opened it, looking to see if the teenage thief was still there. Not surprisingly, the boy was completely out of sight.

He ran back into to yell at the young Asian girl, "If this was some plot to-!"

He was suddenly cut off by his own surprise. The girl was no longer there. And a small hole was seemingly burned into the glass case where one of the fancy golden decks of cards was missing and replaced by several of the shop's missing baseball cards.

Unable to speak, he walked up to the case and placed a hand onto the seemingly melted hole where glass had once been. It was still warm. "What the hell kind of device could a kid have that can do this to glass?" he asked out loud.

Meanwhile two blocks away and counting, Jubilee proudly pocketed the golden deck of cards in her jeans and marched down the street feeling alive. She was just now realizing a hidden fear – that she could not use her powers in this world. Thank God she could. And boy, did she love being a mutant sometimes.

She wasn't quite prepared with a place to stay, but she wouldn't have to worry about that for the moment. Tonight, she had plans.

What's a better way to draw someone out? She certainly couldn't simply _call_ Remy Lebeau. _He_ would have to come find _her_. And how could she make him do that if he didn't even know who she was? The only way Jubilee could guarantee that Remy, or perhaps a varied version of him, come find her was to piss him off – _royally_. And what better way to do that than cause a little mayhem under the great thief's name?

She had a busy night ahead of her if she planned to draw out the one man who could help her – that is, if he _exists_ here.

**Newark, New Jersey: Remy Lebeau  
The next day, Tuesday, April 5****th****, 6:30 pm**

In a questionably shady portion of of Newark, New Jersey, a pile of even shadier people were spread out in a seemingly abandoned apartment building. Among these misfits was Remy Lebeau, who squirmed in a desperate need to get laid… or drunk. Either would work for him at this point. Unfortunately for Mr. Lebeau, the women here were too hammered to do anything, and in the process of achieving such a fine, inebriated state, finished all the good liquor. He ran a hand through his chaotically handsome hair and let out a frustrated breath.

In his agitated state, he sighed a little annoyedly as his phone rang on the coffee table before him. He chose to ignore it; now was not the time to accept any jobs. Now was the time to find a sexy woman who would buy him more crown.

On the floor, a haphazardly drunken female tossed a pillow at the man. "Answer your fucking phone 'fore I kill it," she demanded of him, before turning away from him.

Remy rolled his eyes, groaned and struggled to reach over, but finally reached his phone. It continued to ring as he read the caller ID. Unknown.

"Who ever dis is, betta be sexy wit a bit o' cash, or ready to die," Remy greeted the caller.

_"Err…"_ came an unsure voice, "_I_ _got this number from a friend of a friend. I'm looking for Remy Lebeau from the Guild's Crew."_

"Remy ain't in de Guild no more. And who dis be?" Remy replied, raising an eyebrow.

_"Erm,"_ said the uneasy caller, _"I can't say."_

"Then ya better hang up de phone, _non_?"

_"No wait! This is a friendly call, I assure you. I'm just a messenger, I swear! I have news from the underground."_

Remy paused. "And de message?"

_"It was overheard by an ally concerning the Guild. It was the Tigres gang of The Big Apple."_

Remy sighed. "What d'dey want? Dey know not t'mess wit de Guild. Dey be old news."

_"See, that's the thing. The message originated from a card shop and said that a kid from the Guild just threatened 'em, robbed 'em, and basically caused up a storm in the Guild's name. The kid also caused a ruckus in several bars throughout the night. Apparently hopping from bar to bar, but not drinking. Just causin' up a storm."_

"Ain't no kids in de Guild right now," Remy stated sternly.

_"Tell that to the Tigres. They're getting pretty antsy."_

"What de kid look like?" Remy asked, searching for a pen and paper. He succeeded in finding a pen, but no paper so resorted to writing on the hardwood floor.

_"The guy said she was pretty small. Most likely a street kid. An Asian. Black hair with blue eyes. Some say she looked twelve, others say she looked sixteen. She was dressed in a blue baseball shirt and jeans with a wrist brace. Got a mouth on her apparently. Pissed a lot of people off."_

"And why you bring dis message t' _me_, eh?" Remy asked, a little suspicious. "Seem t'me dat dealing with posers ain't quite in my job description, _non_? I can t'ink of a few others who be better for dis type of job."

"_That's the thing,"_ the caller paused_. "She's looking for _you_. Remy Lebeau."_

"Well, now," Remy smirked. "Dat be quite suspicious, don't you t'ink?"

_"Yeah, seems to be. Um... you gonna off her or what?"_

"Leave dat t'me." Remy replied and hung up.

He fell back onto the couch and shut his eyes, thinking momentarily. That was certainly a strange story. A tall tale? A trap? He was more curious than anything else, and a little bit inside of him was excited to head out for the night.

"Who was that?" his drunken friend asked from the ground.

"Dat, _chere_, is none of your business," Remy replied simply. "If a messenger be callin' again, tell him it be taken care of."

**The Streets of New York: Jubilee  
Tuesday, April 5****th****, 9:15 pm**

The second night came sooner than Jubilee had hoped. The first night was long and painful. She spent most of the day in the park, sleeping off her night time adventure of bar hopping. She was sure she'd caused enough trouble thus far to get herself noticed. Her plan was working, however, and she couldn't help feeling a little satisfaction at causing such a ruckus. She knew the more problems she caused, the faster she could see results. If the strange Remy Lebeau was anything like the Gumbo she knew and loved, she was sure he'd show up in no time. Perhaps she wasn't making a big enough mess?

She wondered briefly what Wolverine would think of her trailing around bars all night long and starting fights. A little part of her wished he were here with her. It was a little unconventional for Wolvie to be taking her to bars, but he did. And under supervision that entailed mostly kiddie cocktails, she enjoyed. She tried to ignore that what she was doing here, without Wolvie's overprotective supervision, could get her killed if she pissed off enough people.

She idly kicked a can down the street for a block or so, feeling a little lost in this non-mutant world. A squad car passed by and she nonchalantly ducked into an alley and out of sight. She shuddered and pulled a stolen jacket tighter around her body and felt for the half sandwich inside the jacket pocket, wishing she'd stolen more food and clothing. It was unusually cold for a spring night.

Deciding it was safe to come back out from the alley, she continued down the street, headed for another row of bars. She pulled out her lame sandwich and munched hungrily on it. She wondered a little apprehensively where the X-Men were. Why hadn't they come for her yet? Maybe they were here, but couldn't find her. She was sure that the X-Men of all people would be able to follow her trail of mischief. It wasn't as though she were being discreet. A thought struck her. What if they would never come? What if, for some reason, they _couldn't_? She knew they'd _try_. But would they succeed?

If she couldn't even remember how she got to this world, how was she going to be able to get out? If she could just remember what happened after she woke up in the middle of the night at the X-Mansion, then she could at least have a clue as to why she was here.

She tossed the plastic wrapper of her sandwich aside. She took a deep breath as she approached the first shady-looking pub of the evening.

"Here we go," she announced to herself bravely. Without hesitation she marched inside, with all intentions of wreaking utter havoc.

**The Streets of New York: Remy Lebeau  
Tuesday, April 5****th****, 10:33 pm**

Remy Lebeau had been scouring a little too merrily from bar to bar that night. He had a pleasant buzz, and was easily distracted by the women. He just couldn't help himself; he was, after all, a man. Who could deny a pass at the beautiful brunette who stood at the Johnstown Bar with her ass stickin' out just right? Or the blonde who pretended not to be amused by the fly kisses he sent so flatteringly in her direction while at the Grill Bar?

It wasn't until he hit a small Irish Pub, while he was sweet-talking his newest feminine interest that he overheard a couple of bouncers speaking of a street kid who was thrown out within the past hour. Sighing regretfully, he turned to leave his newfound female companion standing there. Her hand stopped him.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" she asked in a sweet voice.

Remy turned back and smiled charmingly into her green eyes. "Sorry, _mon chere_," he replied, "But Remy got business t'take care of." And with that he left her pouting at the bar.

"-a kid in the Guild? Unbelievable. Where are her parents, anyway?" one of the bouncers was saying as he approached.

"Excuse me," Remy said, interrupting their conversation. "Don' mean to eavesdrop, but I hear you speakin' of a girl?"

"Yeah," the other bouncer nodded. "Kicked her out not long ago. Kids these days, eh?"

"_Oui_," Remy replied. "So tell me, dis kid? Asian?"

"Yeah," he replied. "How'd you know?"

"Blue eyes?" Remy asked, ignoring the man's question.

"Yeah," he repeated. He crossed his arms and stood tall in an attempt to seem more intimidating. "I asked _how'd you know_?"

"Don' worry, friend, Remy not tryin' to cause no troub-"

"Did you say Remy?" the bouncer cut in. "As in Lebeau?"

"_You're_ the guy this kid's been looking for!" the other bouncer exclaimed. "Lemme guess, you lure little kids out to join gangs? You a _pedophile_ or somethin'?"

"Wha?" Remy asked, bewildered at the accusation. "_Non, non_! Remy not like dat!"

"Well, guess what?" said the bouncer as they ushered Remy roughly out the door. "Your kind isn't welcome here!"

Two seconds later, Remy sat on his ass in the street. Cussing in French, he got up and dusted himself off. He lit a cigarette, fuming from the scuffle. How could anyone think Remy was a pedophile? He long ago admitted he loved to have his women – that was just it. _Women_. Not _little girls_. Whoever this kid was, she seriously starting to get on his nerves and he hadn't even met her yet.

Sobered, he huffed as he entered the next bar. Instead of lingering around this time to hit on the women or order a beer, he went straight to the bartender to interrogate.

**The Streets of New York  
Tuesday, April 5****th****, 11:20 pm**

She had been there. Looking for _him_. Not long ago.

He moved on to the next bar. She was there at some point as well.

Next bar. She'd been there. Was this kid seriously going into _every_ bar on the street? She must be stupid.

At the next bar, it was the same thing.

Nearly an hour after being thrown out of the Irish bar was where his search would finally come to an end. This had to be the shadiest, _dirtiest_ pub he'd seen on the street. It was small, cramped, and he simply didn't trust men who smelled of nothing but weed. He walked in amidst hollering voices. He couldn't see what was going on – there were too many people in the way.

"C'mon, baby," a man's voice chided above the hollers. "Give daddy a smooch, eh?"

"_Gross!_" came the reply of a young lady, and Remy had a feeling the source of this voice was the adolescent who he was looking for. "I don't think _any_ woman in her right mind would smooch _you_! Sorry, bud, not my type. Too _ugly_, too _smelly_!"

"Just who do you think you are, kid? You can't just walk into a place like this and not expect to get out without paying your dues."

"I ain't payin' anybody _anything_, Mister!" the girl spat.

Remy finally shoved past the last guy to see a bald, middle-aged man yelling as he rounded on a girl – Asian, blue eyes. Bingo.

The man who towered over her boomed, "Tell me why I shouldn't slap that smart mouth right off your china doll face!"

"Because you're too _fat_ to move fast enough, _Bub_!"

Remy shook his head. This kid was nuts. She couldn't be taller than 5'2" or weigh more than a hundred pounds, had a wrapped wrist, and yet here she was ticking off a full grown man in a bar.

The man let out a grunt of rage and reached out to grab the girl by her shirt. Remy was about to intervene to stop him, but to his surprise, he didn't have to. The girl maneuvered so quickly that she had the guy on his knees by a single twist of his hand.

He cried out in pain. Remy had to admit he was a little impressed.

"Say you're sorry!" the girl bellowed.

"You little _bitch_!" was the man's unfortunate reply. Remy rolled his eyes.

The girl let go of his hand and let him fall, drawing back her good arm to swing a small fist.

Before she could sock the man's face, however, Remy rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm, a little more violently than he'd intended. He felt her go rigid beneath his grip; he knew she had a fighting instinct.

"_You_," Remy whispered into the kid's ear before she could round on him, "need t'come wit Remy."

She looked up at him startled, and he was surprised to see a flash of a smile on her face.

"Good!" someone in the crowd yelled. "Keep that kid o'yours outta here!"

Still smiling, she let Remy drag her out of the bar and into the alley, leaving behind the remnants of the brawl she started.

**An Alley of New York  
Tuesday, April 5****th****, 11:45 pm**

"Hey, take it easy!" she cried out as Remy forced her against the wall and held here there by her arms. He ignored her small protests.

At a closer look, he could see that the kid was a mess. Her clothes were dirty; her jeans had a hole in them, and he was sure the oversized jacket didn't belong to her. He noted the wrist brace she wore was a little banged up. He observed the start of some scabbing near the bottom of the hairline on her head. He had a feeling the rest of that cut was well hidden beneath her dark hair. Besides those injuries, she seemed to be donning some fresh scrapes on her arms.

"Now, now," Remy started, noting her strange satisfied smirk. She looked a little too happy for someone who had just been captured. "Now, tell me why Remy Lebeau be spendin' the night lookin' for dis pa'ticular _petite_?"

"_Because_," the girl replied cockily as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I sent for you."

"Dere are _easier_ ways to find a man dan to make a whole city t'ink he be a pedophile," he snarled as squeezed her arm. She winced.

"Whoah," the girl exclaimed defensively. "Uh-uh, Gumbo, I did _no_ such thing! I was just tryin' to find you, and I'm surprised it took more than one night!"

"Well, it worked," Remy muttered angrily.

"It did, didn't it?" Jubilee agreed smugly. Her smile faded suddenly and she rose her voice, "What took you so damn long?"

Remy sneered at her. He was not a man who answered to children. "Tell me. Who be dis _lil' girl_, running up and down New York just t'find ol' Remy?"

"I'm _not_ a little girl," she spat defensively. "And the name's Jubilee."

"Well, _Jub'lee_, you tell Remy why he shouldn't _kill_ you where you standin'?"

She rolled her eyes at his empty threat. "You could _try_," she challenged.

Her arrogance was beginning to piss him off. He tightened his grip on her more, causing her to squirm. "Ow! Let go!"

"Why?" Remy asked. "You prolly run off, an' Remy don' intend to hunt you down twice in one night."

"Listen," she said a little too exasperatedly, "I'm _not_ gonna run off. I put so much effort into _finding_ you, why would I leave you here without a reason?"

That made enough sense to Remy. He let her go and felt a tinge of regret as she rubbed her bad wrist. Nevertheless, he didn't back away from her or give her room for escape – in case she wanted to try.

"Talk," Remy growled.

"Not here," the kid said quietly, unperturbed by his aggressive demeanor. She looked around. "You got a place somewhere? I'm kinda hungry too. You got any food?"

"_Non_, why would Remy feed a street brat who be taintin' his good name?"

"Like _you_ had a good one to begin with," she replied sarcastically.

"An' what make you t'ink you _know_ all about Remy, eh?"

"I know enough," Jubilee smirked. "Orphan?"

"What of it?" he asked. "Lotta people be orphans."

"Louisiana?"

"Lucky guess."

"New Orleans?"

"Luckier."

"That accent."

"What 'bout it?"

"It's not French. It's Cajun."

"Don' prove anyt'ing"

"Thieves Guild?"

"Ever'one who knows Remy knows dat he ain't part of it no more."

"Aha!" she declared, triumphantly waving a finger in his face. "So you admit it! I know you were once part of it, and because I know you were, that clearly _proves_ that I know you!"

This kid was proving to be unbelievingly annoying. And persistent.

"Get to da point, _p'tite_," he grumbled. "Why you be lookin' for Remy?"

"Look, you wanna know why?" she chided with a smile. "Then get me something to eat. I _know_ you're not gonna leave me alone til I talk. And we _both_ know you're no pedophile or a child abuser."

Remy glared at her as she batted her blue eyes back at him innocently. Kid had a point. "C'mon," he grumbled. He grabbed her good arm and led her roughly out of the alley.

**Empire Condominium Complex, NY  
****Wednesday, April 6****th****, **** 2:45 am**

Jubilee gulped down the rest of a can of coke as Remy watched incredulously. She stuffed a handful of potato chips into her mouth and munched noisily. Remy was disgusted.

After nicking her two hot dogs, a bag of chips, gummy worms (which took plenty of pouty faces and pleading), and coco-cola, he had taken her to one of his many hideouts. They sat in a makeshift living room, she on a couch and he on a lounge chair. He couldn't believe how much one kid could eat in a sitting. The story she was currently feeding him, with a mouthful of chips, was a tale about waking up in a different world, where there were people she knew, but didn't know her, and as far as she could tell no one was looking for her. It was far too confusing; Remy couldn't keep up. Furthermore, he was beginning to regret buying her caffeine, because as she was wrapping up her story she seemed to be getting more and more hyper.

"You expect Remy t'believe dat you come from a world where people got magic powers?" Remy asked, disbelievingly. The kid just had to be on drugs. "You t'tink I'm stupid?"

"Not _magic_ powers, Gumbo," she rolled her eyes. "_Mutant_ powers!" After a pause, she added, "But I _do_ think you're being stupid right now."

"Righ'," he raised an eyebrow, wondering what he'd just gotten himself into. "I t'ink de _petite_ need to lay off the crack pipe fo' a while."

"I don't do drugs," she responded. "Look, you don't believe me?"

"_No_n," Remy shook his head. "An' why you keep callin' me _Gumbo_?"

"It's short," Jubilee replied with a smile, stretching her arms out and lying back on his sofa. "For Gambit."

"And dis Gambit is…?"

"You," she stated simply. When he didn't respond, she continued, "Well, not _you _you. The other you. I _told_ you. Where _I'm_ from, we're friends. You go by the alias Gambit, and you're no longer a thief. And we lived together at the X-Mansion at one point. And we defend the world from insanely bad guys."

Remy shook his head again. Why do the crazy girls always end up with him? "Look, _p'tite_, I'm sorry. I know you a bit' delusional an' be needin' a hand, but this is just… just…"

Remy trailed off as Jubilee rolled her eyes again and lazily pointed one finger into the air and let out a bright, multi-colored spark. It made a _sizzle_ and a _pop_ sound before it died out. Remy stared.

He stood there, dumbfounded for several long seconds after the spark had disappeared.

"How did you-?" he started, bewildered.

"I _told_ you already!" she whined in an annoyed tone.

"Do it again," he demanded, not believing his eyes.

She complied, but with a bigger spark. And again. But the bigger the sparks that flew out of her hands, the brighter, louder, and harder it was for Remy to see. She stopped and sat up to face a stunned Remy Lebeau.

"You'll go blind," she said casually, "If you stare at them long enough."

"What are they?" Remy asked.

Jubilee paused; she'd never really had to explain this before. "Well, Hank says they're like… explosive plasma."

"So… where does it go when it's done explodin'? When it be disappearin'?"

It was her turn to be confused and thought for a moment; she wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "You ever isolated DNA before?" Jubilee asked suddenly. She felt ridiculously like a nerd for asking.

"_Non_," came the obvious reply.

"Well, unfortunately, I have. I won't go through the process of how _that_ works, because I'm pretty sure I failed the lab assignment," Jubilee babbled. "_Anyway_, when you finally get the DNA isolated, you can put it on your hand and hold it – but _just_ for a bit. See, the enzymes on your skin eat it up until it basically disappears. Like it was never there. Kinda like when you catch a snowflake with your bare hands. Get it?"

Remy stared back blankly. DNA isolation?

Jubilee continued as though Remy had understood and said, _"_So _that's_ kinda what happens to my plasma. It reacts chemically with the air which causes an explosion sensation, then other elements in the air act like an enzyme and it disappears as though it was never there. See?" She demonstrated again and let a spark _sizzle_ until it disappeared.

"Dis is too much for Remy," he finally spoke, as though the spark had woke him up from a daze. He got up and began to pace. He really hoped that this kid's dementia _wasn't_ contagious.

"You believe me _now_?" Jubilee asked the man as he muttered to himself incoherently. "That I'm not from here?"

He looked back at his new young acquaintance. "I b'lieve," he sighed tiredly, "it could be possible."

"Good," she smiled back at him genuinely. Her shoulders sagged; he could now tell that she'd been quite tense about finding someone familiar in this world who would believe her. He now understood the desperation of her situation. She didn't belong in this world, and it would be dangerous for anyone to find out what she was. He could only imagine her being taken in by government agents and dissected like a lab rat.

"So what you want from Remy den?" he asked. "I know we be friends where you from. But I ain't de 'Gambit' you know."

"You may not be _my_ Gumbo, but you're still Remy," Jubilee explained. "If_ anyone_ could find _anyone_, it would be _you_."

"That don' make sense, _p'tite_."

"Look. I'm not from here, and you know that now. I don't have the know-how, the balls, or the connections to get information on anything that's going on here. I can't _go_ anywhere without someone noticing."

"An' what you want _me_ to do about that?"

"I want you to help me," she reached over and took his hand. He was too stunned to react to the kind gesture. "I want you to help me find out how to get back to where I came from."

"I-," he began, unsure of himself. Reluctantly, he said, "Fine. I try, _p'tite_. But I don' know if I can."

"That's all I ask," she replied solemnly. She gripped him harder and said, "If anything weird starts happening, like… vortexes appearing out of nowhere, or strange people showing up out of the blue, or _doubles_ of people who exist in this reality, or I don't know – _anything_! I need to know. I need to go home!"

Her intense blue eyes were brimming with tears. In the dim light of the living room, he finally saw that she wasn't as brave as she pretended. "I let you know, den, okay?" he agreed softly.

"Okay," she let go of his hand and sighed, feeling exhausted.

"Lie down, _p'tite_," he said quietly, as he placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. "You tired, eh?"

"I guess," Jubilee replied as she kicked off her shoes and lay back on the couch. "But I don't wanna sleep yet."

"Okay," Remy said as he took his seat across from her in the lounge chair. "Tell Remy den – what be da Gambit's powers?"

Jubilee smiled as she closed her eyes. "Gambit manipulates kinetic energy."

Before Remy could ask, she said, "No, I don't know how _that_ works. But for some reason Gumbo can charge up objects til they explode."

"I t'ink I like dat," Remy pondered with an amused smile.

He placed his hand on the coffee table, imagining it exploding into tiny pieces. He hadn't realized she'd opened her eyes and was watching him. Jubilee laughed.

"Yeah, Gumbo could blow up that _table_, but he's more into stuff he can charge and throw – like cards."

"Cards?" Remy queried.

"Yeah, cards like… Ace of Spades, Queen of Diamonds, King of Hearts?"

"I t'ink I could see dat," Remy replied. He momentarily imagined himself throwing cards at his enemies.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Jubilee exclaimed excitedly. "I nicked something for you while I was downtown yesterday. Well, I was gonna give it to Gambit, but _you're_ the one who's actually here. So you can have it."

She fished eagerly into her jeans pocket, pulled out a deck of gold-laced cards, and tossed it at Remy.

He smiled as he fingered the fine golden deck. It was certainly a fine piece of art.

"Jubilee, I t'ink you an' Remy Lebeau are gonna be friends here in dis world too, _non_?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I am seriously flattered by the reviews posted; I hadn't expected such positive responses. They're definitely a confident booster. Thanks, guys. =)

**Newark, NJ: Remy Lebeau's Apartment  
Just over two weeks later: Wednesday, April 20****th**_**, **_**7:56 pm**

The morning after they had met, Remy had promptly and discretely relocated Jubilee to his private apartment in Newark. If he was going to keep her safe, after all, he had to keep her close. She was a little surprised at the quality of his apartment. He had plenty of 'side jobs' to rely on to keep himself financially stable. He'd loaned her his guest room, though admittedly there was only a pull out bed in there for her to sleep on. She didn't complain, however, claiming to have slept in far worse places. Although she was a pain in the ass sometimes, she seemed genuinely thankful for the free room and board, not to mention the new clothing. She didn't mind cooking or cleaning, but she was prone to getting antsy if feeling cooped up for too long.

As far as Jubilee's other-worldly situation, their only realistic plan at this point was to lurk around for anything out of the ordinary. She left the apartment with him occasionally under the guise of a hat and shades. Her blue eyes were too remarkable and noticeable, something Remy was keen to hide. She refused to wear contacts for reasons she wouldn't say and had fought him on numerous occasions about it. It was far too conspicuous for her to keep wearing sunglasses at night.

Their first investigation had naturally led them to the road Jubilee appeared from. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember the exact location, perhaps because soon after she arrived here she was hit by a car. Nevertheless, she was able to pinpoint a general area. Yet nothing in the area appeared out of the ordinary. No abnormal electromagnetic activity, change in air pressure, more importantly, no other _people_ falling out of the sky. Whatever vortex she had fallen from seemed to have disappeared for good.

Naturally, Jubilee didn't take the news well. As far as they could tell, Jubilee was stuck here indefinitely. And with that, they were left with nothing to do but wait for something spectacular or mysterious to occur. He could tell after several weeks that her hope was dwindling, though she couldn't bring herself to admit it. He was a little impressed sometimes with her ability to crack jokes and smile despite the grim outlook of her future. And then other times, it seemed she couldn't handle entertaining the idea that she might not be able to return home.

Two weeks went by with her under his care. Though her memory was still shaky, he observed from a distance as her recent physical wounds began to heal. He didn't dote on her, as he had gotten the feeling she'd gotten her fair share of doting-on when she was in the world of the so-called X-Men.

And while she was a welcome guest in his home, he had to remind himself constantly that this was only temporary, especially when Jubilee was hungry. Or cranky. Or bored. None of them were good things. Still, despite her shortcomings, he very soon came to realize that there were many positive things about Jubilation Lee as well. In fact, his important-things-to-know-about-Jubilee list was growing nearly every day.

For one, and perhaps this didn't apply to just Jubilee but all teenage girls, she was prone to violent emotional outbursts. He didn't blame her _completely_, however, because every time they thought they'd heard of something unusual from her world she'd get her hopes up. After a couple let-downs, however, she got angry. Remy quickly learned that pubescent teenagers with mutant powers could be dangerous. She fried his television by accident during a small tantrum. He had to acquire a new one, but made Jubilee promise never to touch it.

Secondly, she was a fighter. After hearing more about her past, he wasn't surprised. She was born and raised to survive a far more violent world than his. He soon learned that she didn't necessarily _need_ to use her powers to win a fight. She'd had more hand-to-hand combat training than anyone he'd met her age. It was almost unnerving. She was like a small soldier: built to protect – and _destroy_. Her loud mouth and aggressive mannerism got them kicked out of a couple pubs and restaurants more than a few times.

Thirdly, she was fiercely loyal, a trait he admired but knew would get her in trouble some day. She was quick to defend him during a potential scuffle, which he admitted was his fault, when he hit on a married woman, whose husband happened to be a semi-pro boxer. Long story short, they ended up cornered in an alley. Remy was pretty sure the guy only backed off because Jubilee was a kid, but it didn't stop him from knowing she would've gladly fought next to him if it came down to it.

Fourthly, she was a firecracker. _Literally_. There were so many ups and downs when it came to Jubilee. She was as sarcastic as she was affectionate. She was hyper when she was awake, but often slept like a rock. Since she had barged into his life, he had never smiled or laughed so much in such a span of a couple weeks. Likewise, he had never _argued_ so often either. It was a rollercoaster of so many highs and lows, it made him feel strangely alive. It was somewhat riveting to have someone depend on him. In fact, he admitted to himself that he was growing attached to the little asshole.

Furthermore, he was surprised to find out that she was a living lighter; she lit his cigarettes with the snap of a finger and popped popcorn right there in the living room when they'd sit down for a movie. These were traits Remy thought were pretty nifty. He had an inkling, however, that her powers weren't limited to such trivial tasks.

But the most important lesson of all that Remy was forced to learn the hard way: Jubilee should _not_ be allowed to have sugar or caffeine after nine o'clock at night. He'd given her candy late at night a few days ago, and she didn't fall asleep until nearly four in the morning. And while she _was_ awake, Remy was the victim of her constant blabber and need for attention. Furthermore, being kept up until early morning hours made him late for a job he was hired to do the next day. Thankfully, however, by the time he'd returned from the small trade, he'd come home to find her still recovering from her sugar crash the night before.

He was pleased, however, that despite her innocent age, she didn't seem to care about Remy's little side jobs… or affairs. She claimed she could think of worse things he could be doing. Tonight was yet another night he appreciated this particular quality.

He came home to her sitting in front of his living room television, with one hand digging unceremoniously into a box of Sugar Bombs and her other hand holding glass of milk, munching loudly. He shook his head as he pulled in his good friend, Diane Ling, a lovely Asian dame in an elegant red satin dress, who brushed aside her long dark hair and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the aloof teenager on the sofa.

Jubilee ignored them both as they came in holding hands, still crunching noisily on her cereal.

"Evenin', _Petite_," he greeted her.

"Sup," she greeted back, not taking her wide eyes off the television, where Bruce Willis was repeatedly firing his weapon.

"Thought Remy told you not t'touch the television anymore?" he warned as he led the gorgeous Diane towards his room. Diane raised her eyebrows at Remy, gesturing towards the teenager. Remy shook his head silently as if to say, 'Not now.'

"I only touched the _remote_," Jubilee replied, trying and failing to roll her eyes without taking them off the television screen.

"Don' keep eatin' that stuff. I ain't entertainin' you on a sugar high ever again," he said just before he shut the door on her.

"_Whatever_," came her reply through the door. He heard the volume of the television go higher and rolled his eyes. At least that provided him some privacy.

He turned his attention to his sexy guest, who put a hand on her hip expectantly.

"Who's the kid?" Diane asked curiously as she shed her wrap and draped it onto Remy's bed.

"Don' worry 'bout de kid," Remy replied as he placed a hand on the small of her back, fingers skillfully finding the zipper of her dress. "She jus' a friend who need a place to stay fo' a while."

"Mm-hmm," Diane replied disbelievingly, letting the subject go as he pulled her into bed.

**Newark, NJ: Remy Lebeau's Apartment  
Wednesday, April 20****th**_**, **_**9:45 pm**

They lay blissfully in the moonlight a couple hours later, bodies intertwined and fully satisfied. Remy ran a finger across her bare chest. They weren't quite lovers, as they were both openly flirting and romping around with other partners, but this happened to be part of what Remy considered a beautiful friendship. He loved her dearly, and she was his closest friend. They'd met several years ago during a small heist involving a museum and a few rare artifacts that were returned to their rightful owners. He was the thief, she was in charge of intelligence, and they made a great team. They'd hit it off immediately, and ended up in this intimate position many a time since.

"So who is she, really?" Diane asked him softly, referring to the young girl in his living room. She lifted her head to look at him.

In the distance, they could hear the television still blaring beyond his bedroom door.

"I _told_ you, _mon chere_," he sighed, hating to lie to her, "She's jus' a friend who need a place righ' now."

She lay her head back down on his chest. He knew she didn't believe him. They lay silent for a while.

"The police and child services are looking for a kid named Jubilation Lee," she stated in a business-like voice. "There's a kid in your living room who matches her description to a T."

"How you know dat?" Remy asked suspiciously.

He didn't need to see her face to know she was raising her eyebrows incredulously at him. There was very little Diane Ling _didn't_ know as far as things went in the New York justice system. It was, after all, her job as intelligence to keep an eye out for things like this.

"Ok, stupid question," he admitted as she smiled smugly.

"Really, Remy?" she whispered. "The kid doesn't exactly _blend _in. I knew who she was the moment I saw her. _Blue eyes_? I'm Chinese too, so I know exactly how rare, maybe even _impossible_, that is."

"Knew dat would be a problem," he replied irritated. "She won' wear de damn contacts."

"Why are you hiding her anyway?" Diane asked. "I knew you had a soft spot, Mr. Lebeau, but I didn't think it extended to street kids."

"Remy can't answer dat righ' now," he said seriously as he took her hand and kissed it as an apology.

She smiled at the kind gesture, accepting his silent apology. "Why not?" It wasn't like him to keep things from her. Sure, they had their secrets, but she didn't think something as miniscule as giving a kid a place to stay would fall under anything too mysterious.

"You trust Remy, righ'?" he asked as he cupped her face in the moonlight.

"With my life," she smiled.

"Den trust Remy when he say dis is somet'ing _big_," Remy said. "Dis ain't my secret t'share, and de less people know 'bout her, de safer she be."

"So you're not just giving her a place to stay," Diane comprehended. "You're _protecting _her."

She was too intuitive for her own good. "_Oui_."

"And if I ask exactly _what_ you're protecting her from, you aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"I don' t'ink you need to hear my answer to know what it is," he whispered regretfully.

"Not to worry, Remy Lebeau," she smiled genuinely at him. "I won't tell a soul about her."

He smiled back. "Remy knows."

"But," she continued, as she sat up and stretched, "You have another problem to worry about if you're serious about keeping her under the radar."

He sat up as well and ran a hand down her back. "And dat is?"

"Lieutenant Scott Summers," she replied as she reached for her dress. "Of the NYPD."

"What about him?" Remy asked as he snagged his boxers off the floor.

"He and his wife are _looking_ for her."

Remy shrugged as he pulled on jogging pants and looked at her. He knew the story of what had happened with the 'Strange Summers' from what Jubilee had told him. "So?"

"You and I _both_ know how rare it is for someone of privilege to give a damn about a street orphan." She was fully dressed now and looking as elegant as ever, although her hair gave away a little evidence of their nighttime romp. She walked over to him and took his hand. "If someone cares about her, she's lucky. They're not going to stop until they know she's at least okay. Don't let that family suffer by not knowing," she warned softly.

Remy pressed his forehead against hers and sighed. Diane had lost her son when the father of her child had kidnapped him from her. It was when the justice system failed to locate her son that she chose a renegade life. To this day, she was still hadn't been able to locate her son.

"I'll see what I can do," Remy whispered as he kissed her gently, comfortingly. He wiped a stray tear from her face. "In the meantime, you do Remy a favor? Been meanin' to ask."

"And what's that?" she asked, straightening herself out.

"Look out for anyt'ing suspicious, anyt'ing dat's not quite…_ right_," he managed to squeak out, trying not to sound like a lunatic.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she replied, raising an eyebrow at him. She seemed to be doing that a lot tonight.

He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to explain. "Somet'ing outta dis world. Like outta a _comic book_ weird. Somet'ing you didn't t'ink was physically possible or even logical. Anyt'ing like dat."

"You sound like you're waiting for something supernatural to happen," she said quietly, realizing he was dead serious.

"Mebbe. Mebbe not."

"I take it this has to do with your new _friend_?" she asked, gesturing towards the door.

He nodded solemnly, feeling like an idiot. He knew Jubilee's dementia was contagious. Dammit.

"All right," she agreed, and he was thankful she took him seriously. "Consider it off the record, Mr. Lebeau."

He smiled gratefully and kissed her hand again. "_Merci beaucoup_."

He opened the bedroom door for her and they stepped out into the living room to find the vague subject of their conversation fast asleep before the television, an empty box of sugary cereal on the floor and her glass drained on the coffee table. The television was still on. Remy frowned at Jubilee's inability to use a coaster as Diane smiled at the irked Cajun's expression.

He held open the front door of his apartment for Diane and gave her one last kiss.

"One more thing, Rem," she whispered.

"_Oui_?"

"Don't let the kid eat so much junk," she smirked, gesturing towards the empty box on the floor. "Get some vegetables in her or something, for Christ's sake. That's not a good dinner for a growing girl to have."

Remy smiled and shut the door as she walked away.

He turned around to face Jubilee and sighed despairingly. There was nothing he could do to help her besides wait and keep his eyes open. It was frustrating both of them, and he could tell she was the more proactive type. He knew that patience wasn't exactly the kid's strong point. His old television was a testament to that.

They simply couldn't make too much noise during their investigation; he wouldn't forgive himself if she was taken and dissected by some secret government lab in Alaska or something. No one, even a sometimes irritating teenager, deserved _that_. He could see that she couldn't survive in his world. Ironically, she was hardened by the home she longed to return to. He felt sorry for her, though he'd never tell her, because she'd grown up knowing nothing but hardship. He had a feeling that this type of drastic hardship was considered something _normal_ in her world.

He shut his new television off and placed a blanket clumsily onto her sleeping form, sighing again.

"_P'tite_," he said more to himself as she slumbered on, "I don' know how we gonna make t'ings right for you."

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
Monday, April 25****th****, 7:03 pm**

"What do you _mean_, you _still_ can't find her?" Scott Summers said angrily into the phone.

His loving wife, Jean, placed a comforting hand on his back. She looked back over her shoulder to make sure her son was busy watching a rerun of Sesame Street and not eavesdropping on the call. Nathan was naturally curious about the girl his parents were actively searching for.

"It's been over _three_ _weeks_," he sighed into the phone. "Haven't you been _looking_?" He paused as the person on the other side spoke.

"Well, if you hadn't _scared_ the kid-!" he started and stopped. He looked at the phone momentarily and hung it up. "Agh! She hung up on me!"

"The _nerve_," Jean shook her head. "Have you heard anything else today?"

"Not a thing, not since the first weekend she disappeared. And Judy Bradley," he gestured towards the phone, "doesn't seem to give a damn."

"Some social worker," Jean sighed. "We'll find her, okay?"

"Yeah," Scott replied solemnly. "After dealing with that damn woman, I'm beginning to wonder whether Jubilee may be better off wherever she's hiding."

Jean agreed silently.

They had been searching for the lost girl Jubilee since she disappeared from the hospital. Scott was still fuming over the way the hospital and Child Services had handled the situation. Something about Jubilee drew them to her, and they couldn't explain why. The only news of her since her disappearance was that someone describing her exact appearance – there was no mistaking a blue-eyed Asian wearing a wrist brace – had been running around for two nights causing havoc and looking for a man named Remy. After her second night of midnight mischief, it was as though she'd disappeared.

Scott had the PD put out a description of her, but besides her street rampage the first weekend, no one had seen her. In Scott's mind there were only two possibilities as to why there was no trace of her. 1) Either she had found this Remy and was safe, or 2) She had found this Remy and because of that, she was lying dead in a ditch somewhere.

He only wished he knew which reason it was.

**Newark, New Jersey  
Thursday, April 28****th****, 1:56 pm **

"Jus' wear de damn contacts!" He threw the box of eyewear at her. She caught it, thanks to her quick reflexes.

"_No_," she protested as she threw them back. "I don't like putting things in my eyes!"

"You _have_ to," he replied as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the bathroom. "People gonna keep noticin' you!"

She twisted out of his grip easily. Remy was somewhat regretful that her wrist was beginning to heal quickly; it was harder to physically control her during these unwarranted outbursts. Her frustration and homesickness was starting to take a toll on her emotionally. He was trying to be patient, but it was hard. He somehow knew she wouldn't normally be like this if she wasn't so upset about not being found by her beloved X-Men.

"No, I _don't_ have to!" she wailed.

"_P'tite_, would you jus' act your age!"

"I _am_!" her smart mouth retorted.

Remy sighed. "Why does everything have to turn into a fight with you?" This was certainly the beginning of another tantrum. He swore he'd never have a daughter if she was _half_ as emotional as Jubilee.

"Okay," Remy said, trying to calm down as he rubbed his neck before she fried something – like his brand new television. "Let's jus' _talk_." He led her over to the couch and sat down, his head in his hands. _"_Your eyes are – Dey're too _noticeable, _too unique. Why you got blue eyes anyway, _Petite_?"

"I get that a lot," she huffed and sat across from Remy, crossing her arms almost mutinously. Remy was pleased to see that she was at least _trying_ to calm down.

"Are you full Chinese?" Remy continued, ignoring her statement.

"Yes," Jubilee sighed as though she'd repeated this story many times in her life. "My parents were both full Chinese, and yes, they both had brown eyes."

"You sure-" Remy started.

"No, I was not adopted," Jubilee cut him off exasperatedly. "And my father really is my father. He had a DNA test done to prove it after I was born with blue eyes, but in the end, I really was his."

"Dat don' answer my question."

"I don't' know _why_ they're blue," Jubilee shrugged, clearly frustrated. "They just are. Hank says it might be because of my mutation, because when you think about it, it seems to be genetically impossible for them not to be unless it's due to _some_ type of mutation, if not directly related to my main one. Who knows really, though?"

"Look," Remy said, "why don' you wanna wear de contacts? _Seriously_. Dey s'posed to help us hide you. You tell Remy and mebbe he understand why dis be such a big deal to you."

"Ugh," Jubilee pulled at her hair. "You won't laugh?"

"_Non_," Remy replied seriously.

"I wanna go home," she whined unnecessarily into her hands.

"I _know_," Remy said a little impatiently. "We gonna try t'get you back home, but in de meantime while you here, you stand out-"

"I _like_ my blue eyes," she interrupted and Remy could sense a small outburst coming. "They're _mine_! And I know it's childish, but it makes me special, you know? Even in _my _world, it's a big deal. I _like_ feeling special." She blabbered on as Remy sat back and blinked. "See, _Paige_ is sweet and loving and disgustingly friendly, not to mention she's got killer looks. And while _Monet_ sits on her high prissy horse, she's drop dead gorgeous. Me? I'm just this annoying talkative hyper _kid_ that no one takes a second glance at! The _only_ thing that makes me special is my _blue eyes_!"

"_Dat's_ what you worried 'bout?" Remy asked incredulously. He barely recognized the names she was spouting off. This kid had some serious insecurity issues going on.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!" she pointed a finger at him accusingly.

"Hey," he said more gently, "Did Remy laugh? _Non_."

"You think it's stupid though, don't ya?" she asked miserably. She looked up at him hesitantly.

"Dere ain't anyt'ing stupid 'bout wantin' to feel special," Remy began with a sincere smile, "but b'lieve me, _petite_, dat ain't what makes you so special." He reached over and patted her hand. "_Oui_, Remy agrees dat you can be talkative and hyper, but dat ain't what defines you. You a pain in my ass, but you also a good person. Only met a few weeks ago, but Remy knows dis is true."

He paused and smirked at her. "Trust me, _p'tite_, you are special. People remember you, de X-Men are lookin' for you. Not 'cause you a mutant or 'cause you got blue eyes. It's got nothin' to do wit that. Dey lookin' for _Jubilee_. 'Sides, ain't no way anyone could forget someone as annoyin' as _you_."

"_Ha ha_," she rolled her eyes. Secretively, his words meant a lot to her. "Why do I hafta wear contacts anyway? Police and Child Services? They'll stop actively lookin' for me eventually. Minors get lost in the system _all_ the time, and no one will even remember I exist. Trust me, it'll happen again." Her words were a little bitter.

"I don' t'ink dat's de case dis time, _Petite_," he said.

"Why not?" she asked disbelievingly.

"Some people out dere got a bigger, eh, _investment_ in your case," Remy replied vaguely.

"_Who_?" Jubilee asked incredulously. "No one in this world, besides the two people in this room, even knows I exist."

Remy creased his forehead at her statement. "E'cept for de hospital, de gangs, an' the whole city o' New York you convinced I was pedophile?"

"Hey, I already said sorry for that!"

"We forgettin' someone," Remy shook his head at her.

"Who?"

"Scott and Jean Summers," he replied grimly.

Realization dawned on her face. He saw a hint of guilt in her eyes and he was surprised to find it was wiped away quickly by anger. "I'm sure they'll get over it," she grunted, crossing her arms.

"I don' t'ink so," Remy said. "Sources be sayin' dey pretty persistent."

"I don't care," she muttered.

"All I'm sayin', _P'tite_," Remy said to the stubborn girl, "is dat dey be _worried_ 'bout you."

"Well, they don't _need _to be," his young friend replied, annoyed. She got up suddenly and began to pace. "I'm fine, aren't I? I was fine _before_ I met them. Why shouldn't I be fine _now_?"

"_Oui_, Remy agrees. But dey don' know dat, do dey?"

"So what? Why should I care about _them_!"

"It's called _consideration_," Remy emphasized the word. He couldn't believe how quickly they'd moved from arguing about wearing contacts to arguing about this random couple he didn't even know.

"If she were _really_ that considerate, she wouldn't have run me down with her damn car!"

Without giving him a chance to respond, she marched into her room and slammed the door shut behind her.

He was beginning to get pretty pissed at this obnoxious kid; he swore he would strangle her if he knew she couldn't explode him to bits with her plasma. He knew there was more to her outburst than she was letting on. He kicked her locked door in as she cried out in anger.

"HEY! This is _my_ room!"

"_Non_," Remy shook his head incredulously. "Dis be _my _apartment! _Jubilee_, Remy gettin' tired o' your attitude."

"Why?" she asked, her face furrowing up in frustration. "Why do you _insist_ on making this such a big deal?"

He noted the fearful expression on her face and lowered his voice. "De Summers people _care_ about you, _P'tite_," he said softly. "Why you act like it such a bad t'ing?"

Jubilee hesitated at the gentleness in his voice. "I-I don't want them to," she finally said.

"_Porquoi_?"

"They're too… _nice_."

Remy rolled his eyes.

"The _nerve_ of som' people, eh? Bein' _nice_ to a lost little girl. Should throw de jerks in jail."

"That's not what I mean!" She took a deep breath and continued more calmly. "They're so damn _perfect_. They're so much more – I don't know – _relaxed_ than the Scott and Jean where I'm from. I've neverseen them so laid back, so… so _happy_! I don't need to be messing up their lives with all of _this,_" she raised her hand and _paffed_ a desk lamp until it lay smoking on the ground.

"An' it's okay to mess wit Remy's life?" he asked her seriously, ignoring the charred lamp.

"No, of course not," she protested lamely. "But it's just… you and me, we're alike. We're the same type of people: _outcasts_, thieves, orphans. Both in _this_ world _and_ where I'm from."

She sat down on her bed and looked down at her hands. Her head hung low as she let out a tired sigh. "You know," she said quietly without looking up at him, "I can leave if I'm messing things up for _you_ too. I know I'm a pain, and I don't handle being cooped up well. I _hate_ waiting around for something to happen. I'm just so… _frustrated!_"

Remy ran a hand through his hair and swore. He sighed and sat down next to Jubilee, pulling her chin up to face him. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"You ain't," Remy said seriously. "You listen to me, a'ight? I don' want you to ever t'ink dat. You make dis ol' Cajun fool smile ever'day. You make him _shout_ too, but dat's besides de point. Remy will do anyt'ing to return the favor an' send you home where you belong an' make you happy, ok?"

"Okay," she sniffled. He pulled her into a gruff hug and ruffled her hair. She blinked and wiped her tears away.

"You know," Remy said. "De Summers' people, dey won' stop lookin' for you 'til dey find ya. Dat's gonna cause a lot o' problems along de way if we can't go 'bout our business."

"What do you want _me_ to do about it?" she asked.

He got up and threw her jacket at her. "Put it on."

"Why?"

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
Thursday, April 28****th****, 6:05 pm**

"Daddy's home!" a little boy's voice called out excitedly as he raced towards the front door.

Scott Summers grunted as his six-year-old pummeled into his arms, making him almost drop the mail. "Hey, you little monster!" he smiled as he picked up his son and entered the kitchen, throwing the mail onto the kitchen table before giving his wife a kiss.

Jean's smile faltered momentarily. She didn't need to ask the question for him to know that she was wondering whether he'd heard anything on her missing patient.

Scott put his son down and shook his head silently. She gave a forced smile as though to say, 'Maybe tomorrow'.

"What's this?" Nathan asked suddenly as he pulled an awkward looking piece of paper out of the pile of mail.

"Let me see that," Scott said, taking it from him.

It was a plain piece of paper folded in half. He unfolded it and was surprised to see the "Lost" poster he had made and distributed through the PD. It had Jubilation Lee's name, description, and last-seen information on it.

Jean looked over his shoulder in surprise as Nathan clamored up to see what the big deal was.

"Look," Scott pointed out. A yellow post-it was attached to the wrinkled paper, reading:

_I'm okay. -J_

Beneath her message was a small drawing of a double helix, with an arrow pointing at it labeling it as DNA. Scott remembered their conversation about genetic mutation and quickly realized this drawing was Jubilee's way of proving to them that it really _was_ her message – and not some imposter trying to shake them off her trail. After all, no one else but he and Jean were there to hear her rant about mutation.

"She's all right," Jean breathed, a hand on her chest. She turned and smiled at her husband, pulling her curious son close as he peered at the handwriting on the page.

Scott smiled as he looked down at the post-it again. He took it as a sign that he didn't need to actively search for her any longer. A strange weight was suddenly lifted off his shoulders. "That's all I needed to know," he said softly, still smiling.

In the distance a pair of _brown_ eyes watched through the window as the family huddled together around the note. Remy Lebeau tugged on his young companion's arm as a signal that it was time to go. Jubilee nodded at Remy and readjusted the baseball cap on her head and pulled her shades down. She smiled contentedly towards the family before she was led away.

**New York, New York  
Thursday, April 28****th****, 8:12 pm**

Jubilee was in a far better mood after their visit to the Summers. Remy was thankful. Her better mood put _him_ in a better mood. Unsurprisingly, she was hungry again. And this time, so was he.

They agreed on a small diner on the corner of a busy street. Remy made it a point to make sure she ordered a _small_ coke, not ready to witness an overactive hyper Jubilee in the wee hours of the morning again. They sat by a window; he had previously found that Jubilee had a tendency to people watch.

"Because everything's so _different_," she explained to him, chomping on a french fry when he asked her why she did it everywhere they went.

"Diff'rent how?" Remy asked as he took a sip of his coke.

"Well, for one," she smiled amusedly, "Your Statue of Liberty is still in _one_ piece. _Mine_ has taken so many beatings it's not even funny. It's like every time they try to repair it, some evil dude gets hell bent on destroying the world, you know? Same ol', same ol'."

"_Oui_," Remy replied sarcastically as he shook his head, "Remy know _exactly_ what you talkin' 'bout."

She laughed.

"So what 'bout Remy?" he asked suddenly.

"What about you?" she asked as she took a bite of her burger.

"Not _me_. Gambit. What's the big difference between me an' Gambit?"

Jubilee was surprised it took Strange Remy so long to ask more questions about his alternate self. Naturally, he should be curious about the life of another man with the same name. "Well," she thought with a mouthful of food, "you're the same, but you're not. I mean, besides your lack of 'demon eyes', you guys are _kinda_ the same… But not _really_."

"Dat clears t'ings up a lot, t'anks, _P'tite_." The sarcasm in his voice was dripping.

She smiled and swallowed her food. "You didn't let me finish. You start out the same, I guess. Orphans, pick-pocketers. Thieves Guild. Actually, in _my_ world, you quit thieving altogether, not just the Guild."

"Really?" Remy frowned curiously. Sure, he'd quit the _Guild_, but he was still pretty well known for his sticky fingers. "Any idea why?"

"I dunno," Jubilee shrugged. "I guess Gambit had morals beat into him eventually. We never really talked about it."

She blushed suddenly and continued, "Actually, if Gambit knew I'd nicked that deck o' cards, he'd have my ass in the Danger Room so fast 'til I was beaten to a pulp. He would've _kept_ the cards, o'course, but we made a deal once. And if one of us breaks it, we pay the debt by Danger Room sessions."

"What's was de deal?" Remy asked as he finished his own burger.

"Once I was upset about something," she explained. "I was at the mall, and I thought I was by myself. And I took something, something I didn't even _need_. If you have to know, it was just a pair of socks. Like I said, I didn't _need _it. I was well fed and well clothed at Xavier's. Not to mention, I had enough money in my pocket to simply _buy_ the damn pair."

"Dat _does_ sound stupid, _Petite_," Remy admitted as gestured for her to continue.

"Anyway, Gumbo caught me and flipped out. We were fighting, screaming at each other actually, once he dragged me home. I mean, I admit it was a stupid thing to do, so eventually he and I made the deal: to only steal for _need_, not _greed_. If one of us breaks the deal, then we gotta hit the Danger Room for extra sessions. I only broke it once after that. 'Til now anyway."

"Not a bad deal," Remy remarked, crumpling up his napkin and placing it on his plate. "So what made de _petite_ so upset she stole a pair o' socks?"

Jubilee blinked and put down her coke. Why _had_ she been upset that day? "I-I don't remember," she stammered honestly. That couldn't be right; she knew it was because of something that had really upset her. She brought a hand to her head and forced her eyes shut, as though willing the memory to come back.

Remy took her hand away from her head. "Don' worry, _Petite_," he said with a soft smile. "Your memory'll come back."

She was prone to these episodes of not being able to remember things that happened in her past. Most of her memory loss seemed to center around what happened the night she fell into this world.

"Anyway," she shrugged dejectedly, changing the subject. "You're _nicer _than Gambit."

"Nicer?" Remy laughed. He didn't know too many people who would consider him in such high regard.

"Well, Gambit has always been nice to _me_, because he already knew me through the X-Men. But the Gumbo I know wouldn't have accepted a stranger into his life so quickly." She smiled and added quickly, "I'm glad _you_ did though."

He smiled appreciatively. "T'anks-"

"_And_ my Gambit woulda tracked me down a _lot_ faster than you did," she cut him off.

"Hey now-"

"_Also_ he wouldn't have been dense enough to be conned into _feeding_ me after I made him look like a monster-"

"Dere ain't no reason t-"

"_-Not to mention_, he woulda forced me into wearin' these brown contacts _weeks_ ago-"

"_Merde-"_

"-And the _biggest_ difference of all-"

"Remy don' hafta sit here and take dese insults-"

"-is that you're _happier_ in _this_ world. Gambit? Not so much."

At her last statement, he was stunned quiet. He watched her poke the ice in her cup as though what she had said made no impact on him.

"Dat so?"

She nodded and sipped the last of her drink.

His life wasn't exactly glorious; he considered it a quality far less than average in this world. He had to admit though that he was more than financially stable and had a few close friends for companionship when it came down to it. Furthermore, he no longer struggled these days as he did when he was younger. Occasionally, he would come across a few dangerous situations involving gangs and firearms, or even heists gone terribly wrong. But it was never anything that came close to anything that involved world destruction. He wasn't sure if he'd like that kind of pressure.

Compared to Jubilee's life, he had the feeling he'd been living like a king until she came barging in. Jubilee had made a lot of side comments about his world, not so much out of envy but out of curiosity and wonder. It was as though she'd never known a world with some degree of peace. She was always tense, as though someone would jump out of a corner and not just attack her, but _kill_ her. It was unnatural for him to see such a trait in someone so young. Perhaps Jubilee's version of Remy Lebeau had experienced a similar life as their young friend.

The vibration of his cell phone interrupted their conversation. "Lebeau," he answered quietly as he watched Jubilee fish the ice out of her glass with a straw.

"_So formal," _the feminine voice remarked comically on the line.

"Diane," he greeted, his lips easing into a smile, which faded as she continued to speak.

"_Listen,"_ she said in far-too-casual tone, _"There's this hilarious article in the Times, you really _must_ read it. You'll get a kick out of it, I promise. About some crackpot old fool who _swears_ he saw someone get kidnapped!" _She finished with a tight laugh.

He knew this tone of voice; she was disguising this as a social call, which meant that she suspected that someone was tailing her. His stomach tightened. "What de article say?" he asked. He realized he must've sounded worried, because Jubilee looked up at him a little anxiously.

"_Ah, you know, that's the funny thing. The article says he claims he witnessed someone was grabbed and that both the attacker and his hostage simply disappeared into thin air! I'm not kidding either, it's on page nine; I'm looking at it right now. Seriously, I thought the pot-smoking population dwindled in LA, but apparently I was wrong!"_ Her laugh made his stomach tighten even more.

This was it, he thought nervously. This was what they'd been keeping an eye out for. He licked his lips anxiously as his eyes met Jubilee's.

Diane continued, _"Sounds like something out of a _comic book_, doesn't it? _Out of this world_, even." _

"_Oui._" Remy agreed. He didn't miss the meaning in her words. "Why don' we meet up later tonight fo' a lil' one on one? Say, at our date place. Eleven o'clock?"

"_Shouldn't be a problem,"_ she replied. He could almost hear her cocky smirk, and he knew she'd already devised a plan to shake her tailers. _"See you then, sexy."_

Remy hung up the phone and looked at Jubilee square in the eyes, feeling a little pleased at having finally gotten somewhere.

"C'mon," he said as he left a twenty on the table. Jubilee grabbed her baseball cap and pulled her shades down as she followed him curiously out the door of the diner.

She didn't have to follow him far. He stopped at a newspaper stand where he purchased a copy of the New York Times. He flipped straight to page nine and read silently to himself.

"What?" Jubilee asked eagerly, trying to peek over his shoulder. He smiled genuinely at his young friend and showed her the article. She read the title and smiled, despite knowing she shouldn't be happy when it came to someone else's demise. "Now _this_ is something typical of _my_ world. Correct me if I'm wrong, Remy, but I didn't think people disappearing into thin air was something _normal_ for you?"

Remy's satisfied expression was all she needed for confirmation. Her smile broadened.

"Feel like gettin' a tan in LA?" he asked her.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This is a long one, kids. Kinda weird that I happen to find so much free time to write when I have a full time job, eh?

Update (09 APR 2011): Fixed a few grammatical errors.

Disclaimer: I don't own Flowerama either. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

**Riverside Park, New York  
Thursday, April 28****th****, 11:02 pm**

Remy leaned against the railing at the edge of the Hudson River, checking his watch and taking a drag from his cigarette. It was a beautiful clear night, and he was pleased to see that the weather was getting warmer. He wasn't completely used to the harsh winters of New York, having grown up in New Orleans. Nevertheless, he liked being away from a city where nearly _everyone_ knew him by name – which could turn out to be a good _and_ bad thing at times.

The reason for his visit at this particular spot along the river was quite a feminine one: Diane Ling. She'd agreed to meet him at this hour. She was rarely late as she considered promptness a common courtesy. However, tonight he knew she would not show up at all if she believed she was still being tailed. He was not _too_ worried, as he had learned through his life of righteous crime that she was nearly as good at shaking off, and distracting, followers if she needed to.

He had to explain to Jubilee exactly why he needed Diane Ling's assistance, someone his young friend was feeling wary of. After repeated assurances that Diane knew of nothing but Jubilee's name and recent police records, the girl had resigned grudgingly and allowed Remy to do this _his_ way. After all, she did owe him a lot.

He let slip a smile when he heard the footsteps of a night jogger headed towards him. The woman stopped along a patch just a few feet to his right and began to stretch.

"Evenin', Ma'am," he nodded in her direction.

"Good evening, Mr. Dubois," she smiled as she brought her head down to her knees. The use of one of his aliases reassured him that she was playing it safe. Her long dark locks were pulled back into a loose bun, and her clothes were damp from light perspiration. Compared to the last night he saw her when she was wearing a red evening gown, she looked like a soccer mom. He wouldn't have recognized her if he hadn't already spent _years_ studying her mesmerizing physique. "Nice night for a jog, don't you think?"

"Dey still tailin' you?" Remy asked as he threw his cigarette butt into the water.

"I _highly_ doubt it," she remarked proudly as she swung her arms back and forth. She flashed a grin at him. "But you know I don't like to take chances."

"_Oui_," Remy agreed. "Any idea _why_ dey tailin' you?"

"Nope," she replied as she stretched her arms over her head. "Though I have every intention of finding out."

"You Don't t'ink I'm crazy, right?" Remy asked, understanding the confused and overwhelming feeling she was going through. "After what I mentioned last week?"

"Never did," she said softly, as she placed a limber leg onto the railing. "Where's the girl?"

"Watchin'," Remy replied vaguely, "From a safe distance."

She nodded her approval and smiled inwardly; he didn't like to take chances either. "Well, I've got one more stop to make," she whispered. "Then I'll meet you for a late dinner?"

He smiled and kicked a stone into the water. "Was a pleasure t'meet you, Ms…?" Remy said in his casual voice.

"Wong," she replied with a wink as she jogged away.

He turned and cocked his head, staring admiringly at her ass as she jogged away, ignoring Jubilee pretending to gag from the tree where she sat out of view.

**Dive Diner Inn**_**, **_**New York  
Friday, April 29th, 12:15 am**

"Anything else?" the plump waitress asked kindly at her two customers.

"Coffee," Jubilee replied casually. "Cream, extra sugar."

"Uh, Remy don't t'ink so, _Petite_," her companion interrupted, holding his hand up to the waitress in protest. "She havin' _juice_."

"What am I, twelve?" Jubilee muttered as the waitress walked away chuckling.

"You ain't having coffee as long as Remy still alive," he said seriously.

"I'm not gonna fall asleep tonight anyway," Jubilee fidgeted. "I'm too excited!"

He smiled, knowing they were a step closer to getting her home than they were this morning. Then as quickly as his smile appeared, it fell away. "What d'you mean you ain't sleepin' tonight?" He had sudden flashbacks to her previous midnight sugar high.

"_Ha ha_," she replied sarcastically. She admitted to herself that she had gone a little far with the two boxes of sour patch kids at one in the morning. But in Jubilee's eyes, the past was the past.

Remy was pleased with how well Jubilee was blending in right now. With brown eyes, her appearance made a huge difference; he was more satisfied with the fact that she no longer insisted on wearing sunglasses at night to cover her blue eyes. The beanie she wore on her head was efficiently covering the scabbing on her head from the car incident.

He'd also gotten the kid some slightly newer clothes, though the ones he'd picked out were a little too big on her small frame. She looked sort of like she was trying to grow into hand-me-downs. At least the newer sneakers fit well. Her old ones were worn to pieces after her first weekend in this world.

"When's she coming?" Jubilee asked impatiently.

The waitress dropped off their drinks and some toast.

"She'll be here soon enough," Remy replied confidently, taking a sip of coffee. Jubilee stared at his cup enviously as she fingered the glass of orange juice to her right. "Speak o' de devil."

Sure enough as Jubilee turned a beautiful woman approached their table, this time in jeans, boots, and jacket. Jubilee had to give the woman credit; she looked _nothing_ like she had in the park.

"Evening, Rem," she greeted him sweetly. She turned to Jubilee, who seemed hesitant. "And this must be _Lee_," she stated, flashing a friendly smile to the teenager. "It's so great to finally meet you."

Remy nodded. Jubilee was relieved that he was letting her use her last name as though it were her first. She didn't know too many other names she could respond to naturally. She was a little jealous that Remy got to keep his name. But the name Jubilee, much like her natural vibrant blue eyes, was too unique.

"Lee," Remy smiled as he scooted into the booth to let Diane in, "this is Melinda Wong, my girlfriend."

The teenager gave a grim smile and greeted unenthusiastically, "What's up?"

"Your brother told me it your birthday recently," Diane lied, though Jubilee had the feeling her friendliness was genuine. Diane pulled out a small wrapped box and placed it on the table before Jubilee, who stared at it apprehensively.

"What do ya say, _Petite_?" Remy said to her, more encouragingly than naggingly. He could tell she was having second thoughts on whether or not she could trust this new woman.

"Thanks," she replied in Diane's general direction, before pulling the box closer to herself.

"You can open it _later_," Diane said. Jubilee didn't miss her meaning and left the box unopened on the table.

Their ruse certainly _looked_ natural, as Jubilee seemed a little reluctant to be sitting at the same table as the woman in her _brother_'s arms.

Food was brought to their table at that moment, and Jubilee looked thankful at its arrival.

After beginning to scarf down her plate of midnight bacon and pancakes, she seemed a lot less uneasy. She hastily attacked the goods presented before her as Remy and Diane made small talk while they ate.

"So you guys are leaving for a trip tomorrow?" Diane asked.

Remy nodded. "_Oui_. We gonna hit de beach. Promised Lee I'd take her if her grades improved."

"That's nice," Diane smiled. "You read that weird article in the paper I told you about?"

"_Oui_," Remy replied, picking at a sausage on his plate. "It seemed pretty interestin', don't you t'ink, Lee?"

"_Intereshting_, yesh," Jubilee replied with a mouthful of pancakes. She swallowed and added quietly with a secretive smirk, "But not unheard of."

Remy glared at her as if to say, 'Shut the hell up.' She ignored him pointedly.

They finished their meal speaking as though nothing was wrong with the world.

**Women's Bathroom  
Friday, April 29****th****, 1:03 am**

After excusing herself, Diane had invited Jubilee to accompany her to the bathroom. At Remy's encouragement, she obliged.

Jubilee followed the older woman into the bathroom. Another customer was washing her hands at the counter as they entered. Diane went straight into a stall and shut it behind her as Jubilee walked up to the mirror next to the stranger. As the stranger was drying her hands, Jubilee scrutinized her reflection.

She wrinkled her nose in annoyance at the brown eyes staring back at her. The stranger left. Jubilee walked up to the bathroom door after Diane gave her a curt nod confirming that no one else was there with them.

Jubilee walked back to the mirror and hastily whipped her beanie off, trying to scratch at the scabs near her hairline.

"Don't scratch it," Diane smiled amusedly at the young girl while washing her hands. "It's trying to heal."

"It's _itchy_," Jubilee complained. Nevertheless, she complied.

"Here," Diane said as she dug into her purse and pulled out a cream. Jubilee hesitated for a second as Diane gestured for her to come closer. She stepped forward and Diane began to rub a bit of the cream along her hairline.

"What _is_ it?" Jubilee asked, her eyes crossing as she tried to watch Diane's hands on her forehead.

"Just an anti-itch cream," Diane replied with a smile. "My son used to scratch off his scabs too."

Jubilee was silent as Diane was administering more cream. Remy had told her the story about how Diane's son had been taken from her. Jubilee wasn't quite sure how to respond to that statement.

"There," Diane said in a satisfied voice after several long quiet seconds, placing the beanie snugly back onto Jubilee's head.

"What is it that you want?" Jubilee asked suddenly, more curiously than suspiciously.

"Direct and to the point, eh?" Diane commented, not feeling offended. Her face turned serious and she hushed her voice. "Listen, if you two get separated and you can't find him, or God forbid, Remy gets hurt or something, you contact me." She pulled folded piece of paper out and held it out to the young girl before her.

Jubilee stared at the paper momentarily before taking it. "You don't know anything about me," Jubilee said suddenly, looking into the older woman's eyes.

"True," Diane admitted, smiling gently. "Except for what I've read in police reports, I know _nothing_ about you."

"Why then?" Jubilee asked, not quite comprehending this woman's kind gestures. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I trust Remy," the Diane replied simply.

"Just like that? No questions asked?"

"When you've been through what Remy and I have been through together, it's not hard."

"But you don't know anything about what's going on," Jubilee reasoned, as though Diane were the most naïve person on this planet. "How do you know we're not up to no good? Or planning a terrorist attack, or _something_?"

"Well," Diane asked with a tiny smirk. "_Are_ you planning anything of the conniving sort?"

"Well, _no_, but-"

"Then what's the problem?" Diane asked. "I trust Remy," she restated firmly. "He knows what he's doing. If he says whatever is going on is of upmost importance, and I believe him. I know this isn't some random heist for big bucks; you guys are getting into something _big_. Something _important_. I can tell."

"And what if this something _big_ gets him _killed_?" Jubilee asked suddenly, inwardly realizing she'd been feeling guilty about dragging him into her mess. He wasn't the Gambit she knew; she wasn't sure whether he'd be prepared to deal with what might be going on.

"Then he dies," Diane said softly.

"You're okay with that?" Jubilee replied incredulously. "What if it's my fault?"

"Whatever he's doing, he's probably already aware of potential consequences. If he thinks you're worth dying for, then he'll gladly go the course if it comes to that. It wouldn't be your fault, because it's _his_ decision. From what little he _has_ told me, I trust that whatever you guys are doing is _really_ important. He and I already agreed that if it comes down to it, he knows I will take care of you if something happens to him."

Jubilee looked a little apprehensive.

When the girl didn't respond right away, Diane challenged, "Tell me, then. Why are _you_ accepting help from _me_?"

Jubilee bit her lip. "Because Remy says you're good at what you do, and that you won't turn me in."

"So you're saying that you _trust_ his judgment?" Diane challenged.

Jubilee's eyes widened in a moment of pure eureka.

"Touché," Jubilee replied wryly, a smile finally sliding onto her face.

**Remy Lebeau's Car  
Friday, April 29****th****, 2:15 am**

They were on their way back to Remy's apartment in Newark, and Jubilee was fussing through a backpack of clothing Diane left for her. Remy glanced at the smile on her face as he was driving. "What make de _petite_ smile?" he asked her.

"Dude, Diane has _way_ better taste in clothing than you do," Jubilee declared excitedly as she pulled out a pair of jeans. "I think they _fit_ too."

"Fo'give Remy. He don' exactly know what be _in_ _fashion_ fo' women." He said that a little too proudly and Jubilee laughed. He gestured towards the present Diane had given her at her feet. "Open it."

She reached down for the package and pulled the purple wrapping paper off, revealing a plain box. She pulled the lid off and peered inside. "Cool," she smiled as she pulled out a cell phone and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. She held up some credit cards, along with a few IDs.

"A passport," she said as she picked it up and opened it, giggling. "Lee Lebeau?" She frowned suddenly at the picture. "This does _not_ look _anything_ like me!" she protested. "Neither do these!" she whined as she flipped through some ID cards.

Remy glanced at the picture quickly as she held it out at him and smiled. "Black hair? Brown eyes? You Asians all look de same," Remy teased as she fumed, muttering something about stereotypes and ripping her contacts out right then and there.

Jubilee tossed the box and its contents back onto the floor uninterestedly and pulled the backpack back onto her lap. It was clear to Remy that she was more excited about the new clothes than she was about her 'birthday present'.

"So," Remy asked. "What you t'ink of her?"

"Who, Diane?" She was surprised he didn't ask her what they'd talked about in the bathroom. Her mind wandered back to the note folded in her pocket. Diane's words of high regard concerning Remy echoed in her mind. It hadn't taken Jubilee long to realize that Diane _loved_ him.

"_Oui_."

"I think you should _marry _her," Jubilee declared boldly as she held up a gray vintage tee.

The corners of Remy's lips curved up into a small smile as he shook his head.

**American Airlines, Flight 223  
Friday, April 22****nd****, 10:32 am EST**

"_Why_ couldn't we just steal a private jet or something?" Jubilee muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Remy to hear her.

Remy peered at the teenager next to him from behind his newspaper. "An' who exactly would fly de jet?" he asked.

"_I_ could do it," Jubilee pouted and crossed her arms, slumping down into her seat.

Remy shook his head. "Like _you_ could fly," he remarked sarcastically. His face turned surprised when he realized she was serious.

"I'm a friggin' _superhero_," Jubilee sighed exasperatedly. "I wear industrial strength spandex, make things go really big _boom_, _and_ I can fly a jet with my eyes closed." She paused for a moment thoughtfully and added, "Although Frosty _did_ ground me for that one. Anyway, I've flown as far as _Argentina_. I could get us to LAX in a quarter of the time than what _this_ hunk of junk can." She kicked the backpack underneath the seat in front of her frustrated.

Remy was amazed at the type of life this girl had lived up until now. She went from privilege, to homeless, back to a strange sense of privilege that entailed private jets and saving the world. And here she was again, basically homeless. Did the cycle ever end for her?

"Even den," Remy replied, shaking his head at her rant and averting his eyes back to his newspaper. "Wouldn't really be discreet, _non_?"

"I guess not," she replied dejectedly.

Remy turned back to his LA Times newspaper, idly fishing around for any odd reports.

"Hey, Rem," she said softly after a few minutes of staring out the window.

"Hmm?"

"We're going to California," she stated a little awkwardly.

He looked up at her, seriously wondering if she'd hit her head again. "Thought we already established dat, _P'tite_."

She didn't look up at him. "My parents are in California."

"Oh," Remy nodded, realizing where she was going with this. He'd found out that her parents were actually alive in this reality and informed her a couple weeks ago. But she hadn't until now expressed any real interest in seeing them. He had wondered why, but never pressed the issue. He was surprised after she showed no desire to meet them that she now seemed to be asking for permission.

"You think it would be possible to, you know, _see them_?" she paused and continued when she could see Remy was going to say no. "I don't mean like _talk_ to them or meet them or anything. I just wanna see them. From afar."

"I don' know, _Petite_," he said honestly.

"You know I'm gonna do it anyway," she said defiantly. He could tell she wasn't lying. "But it would be easier if you would come with. I just wanna see them, what they look like. I don't wanna talk to them. I'd have nothing to say."

Remy sighed. "A'ight," he gave in. "But we ain't gettin' close."

"Wouldn't want to anyway," Jubilee said seriously, turning her attention back to the window.

Remy noted how uncomfortable she looked and felt bad for her. He wasn't sure how _he'd _react to having his parents murdered and finding an alternate universe version of them still alive. He'd probably be curious as well. Remy decided it wasn't a mentally stable thing to think about and elbowed her to get her attention on something else.

"Here's another article on de ol' man," he said, handing it to her.

She took it from him. The article was smaller than the one they'd read in the New York Times. The title read: "Man Claims Coworker was Abducted & Vanished".

Jubilee read aloud to him, "'_Local LA Flowerama Employee Richard Bates, 62, filed a report with the LAPD yesterday claiming his coworker Stanley Machinski, 42, was abducted. The report stated that Machinski was grabbed from behind and sedated before he and his attacker vanished into thin air. Despite skepticism, police were obliged to investigate and found no evidence of a scuffle at the Flowerama where Bates claims the incident occurred. As of yesterday evening, Bates was apprehended and placed in Western University's Mental Health Clinic for temporary care. As of this morning, Police admit that Machinski has not been contacted since before the incident was reported._'"

Jubilee wrinkled her nose as she read the last line. "They _admit_ they can't find the guy and don't investigate further?" she asked, disgusted.

Remy shrugged. "T'ink about it from dis world's perspective," he explained. "Dis is somet'ing we can't prove is possible. People who say t'ings like dat lose cred'bility. Cops don' see a point in investigatin' a claim from a man who seems mentally unstable. No evidence o' foul play, one shady witness in de loony bin? No reason."

"That's _stupid_," Jubilee rolled her eyes. She bit her lip suddenly. "What if that's what happened to me?"

"What?" Remy asked, noting the worried look on her face.

"What if _I_ disappeared and no one's looking for me?"

"Dey're lookin' for you," Remy whispered comfortingly. "Remember? You said you woke at de mansion an' you were with de X-Men at some point before you got here."

"Oh, right." Her eyes glazed over a bit, and Remy could tell she was trying to remember when she'd told him about it that. She shook her head and said, "So where we going first?"

Remy checked his watch.

"We gonna land in LA at 'bout t'ree in de afternoon California time. De Health Clinic's visitin' hours ain't gonna be closed yet."

**Western University Mental Health Clinic  
Friday, August 29****th****, 4:23 pm PST**

Jubilee rubbed her irritated eyes as she sat in the waiting room of the clinic next to Remy.

"Stop dat," he said under his breath. "You'll make de contacts fall out."

"They're drying my eyes," she whined in a hushed tone. "Can't I take them off now that we're in California?"

"Fine, but do it _later_," Remy growled as he took pulled her hand from her face.

A husky nurse suddenly appeared before the duo. "Your Uncle will see you now," she said kindly.

Jubilee and Remy followed her silently as she spoke, "Richard has been having _such_ a hard time adjusting here, but I'm sure with recent events, you already know that." She swiped a card to gain access to a long corridor. They reached the end and walked into what looked like a recreation room. Jubilee noted idly that the television seemed to be the most popular group activity here.

The room looked relatively pretty busy, which Remy was pleased for, so they could speak to the man without drawing attention to themselves. The nurse smiled at Jubilee almost appreciatively and said, "I'm really hoping that finally having a visitor from _family_ will make him feel better. Lord knows he's had his fair share of criticism from the police and media. Poor fella… I hate to witness when the mind goes like that."

"We'll do what we can," Remy said as she left them standing at the doorway. They surveyed the room. It didn't look like a very friendly place to be, but Remy wasn't sure whether half these people were aware enough to care.

Jubilee tugged on his arm.

"Ten bucks says it's the angry guy sitting by himself at the corner table," Jubilee gestured in an old man's direction. She decided _she'd_ be fuming too if no one believed her about something this big. He didn't look _crazy_; he simply looked _angry_.

"No contest," Remy replied with a small chuckle.

He led her over to the man, who looked older than he should have. They sat down across from him at the table, uninvited.

Richard Bates' face was etched with frustration and his gray hair was thinning. A ridiculous 'Hi, I'm Richard' sticker looked like it was forced onto the pocket of his shirt at some point. He looked too serious to be here. He said nothing, gray eyes piercing into his visitors, who seemed unaffected by his suspicious glare.

"Afternoon, _Uncle Rick_," Remy greeted the man calmly.

At first the old man didn't respond. They stared at each other momentarily.

"Who are you?" he demanded quietly.

"Da name's Remy," he replied. He nodded towards Jubilee who had her arms crossed and was leaning on the table. "Dis is Lee."

"What do you want?" his intense gaze wandered to the young girl confusedly before returning to Remy.

"We hear you got a story t'tell about a man named Stanley Machinski," Remy said evenly. "We'd like to hear it, _s'il vous plait_."

"Why?" the man shot angrily. "So you can make fun of me?"

"Do we look like we came all da way here fo' fun?" Remy asked.

Richard noted the backpacks they were carrying. The kid looked tired. He realized they must've traveled a good while to get here.

"Why should I tell you anything?" he asked suspiciously. "So you can kill _me_ too?"

"We ain't one o' dem," Remy remarked, not sure who he was talking about. He saw in Richard's eyes that the man dared to hope that this was true.

"Who are you?" the old man repeated.

"Already told you,_ mon Ami_," Remy smiled charmingly. "Remy and Lee."

"So what?" Richard replied. "You come in here posing as a long lost niece and nephew and you expect me to tell you a story for entertainment?"

"T'ought we established dat dis ain't a trip made fo' pleasure."

Jubilee pulled the newspaper clipping out of her bag and placed it on the table, sliding it towards the old man. "Tell me what happened," she said.

"No," Richard began heatedly, refusing to look at the article that made him out to be a fool. "_You _tell _me _why should I tell you anything at all? How do I know you're not some – some – undercover _spies_ sent to give the doc a reason to diagnose me with schizophrenia or something? No one else has taken me seriously!" He slammed his fist down on the table, momentarily drawing attention to their table. He lowered his voice suddenly, "Tell me why _you're_ any different?"

His facial expression changed to one of pain, as though he were begging for a reason for his sanity's sake. He met the eyes of the girl before him, who stared back unafraid by his outburst.

Slowly, Jubilee placed a single index finger on the clipped article that lay ignored on the table before him. He watched, perplexed, as the tiniest _paff_ appeared and disappeared at the tip of the girl's finger. He had to force his jaw from dropping at the sight. It was so quick, so small, that no one but the three of them had witnessed it.

When Jubilee removed her finger, he slowly reached for the article clipping. He brushed the small scorch mark on the article, as though it were metaphorically tainting the reporter's hurtful words.

Richard gazed wonderingly into the young girl's eyes and hesitated, licking his lips. It seemed he was suddenly overcome by excitement. "So you're – you're _part_ of this? This _weird_ stuff?" he asked breathlessly.

Remy smirked as she said, "I'm the _definition_ of weird stuff."

"Are you one of the bad guys?" he asked unsurely.

Jubilee had no idea who these _bad guys_ were, but she had no intention of letting him know. "If I was a 'bad guy', don't you agree I'd probably be a lot older, and you would be a lot more… _dead_?"

He nodded awkwardly, seeming to accept her strange answer. He was breathing heavily now, excitement overwhelming him.

"_What happened_?" she repeated. Remy was inwardly taken aback at the intensity of her voice; he'd never seen her like this.

Richard looked into her eyes again and his eyebrows creased sorrowfully. "It – it _wasn't_ how the newspapers are saying it happened," he began uneasily.

"It never is," Jubilee agreed quietly when he didn't continue.

"Stan _was_ there." The old man's eyes unfocused and he seemed lost in the memory of the morning of the tragedy. "He forgot to clock in; he does that _all_ the time. That's why there's no record of him even _being_ there. I – I sent him to the back, behind the shop," the man's eyes misted. "I asked him to take the rose bushes outside in the yard, because they were starting to wilt. I just thought they needed sunlight, I didn't mean for this to happen to him."

He paused and folded his shaking hands together before he continued. "It wasn't a busy morning. I'd already gotten our clients' arrangements finished. No one else was in the shop. And then it happened – I _heard _them." He began to sweat, eager for his listeners to hear every detail. "I went back there – to scold Stan, to tell him to shut up. But when I opened the door, I _saw_ them."

Remy leaned in closely, because Richard's voice dropped down to a whisper.

"They'd jumped him, two guys to be exact. I thought it was a gang scuffle at first, but Stanley… He was an annoying guy, but he wasn't bad – he wasn't part of no gangs. It didn't make sense, I mean, why beat him? Why snap his neck like that?

"They didn't _take _him like the damn media is claiming I said. They _killed _him! And then, I'm not sure exactly what it was, but _something_ appeared over Stan's body…. Like a hole was in the air. A dark hole, and they just – just _walked_ into it. And then they were gone."

Jubilee blinked in confusion. She looked at Remy who seemed just as perplexed.

Richard continued in a raspy whisper. "His _body_ – they left it behind. I was so stunned. I didn't know what to do. I was scared! I locked the shop and went to the bathroom, you know? I don't know how long I was hiding there. I heard the phone ringing forever, and I ignored it. When I finally found the nerve to come out, I realized I couldn't just _leave_ Stan there… he deserved _better_ than that. I was just too scared to do anything. And when I went back to cover him up…" He paused, his face pale. "He was _gone_. It was gone – his body. Like it was never even there. Like nothing had even happened.

"I felt crazy, you know? How could I possibly tell _anyone_ about this? Two men disappearing into thin air and a body just… _vanishing_? I thought if I told people, they'd think I was crazy – and I was _right_! Look at where they put me!"

"So what made you tell?" Remy asked curiously.

The old man looked haunted. "It was the phone. It kept ringing. It was driving me crazy, so I finally answered it… and it was his mother. Stan's mom. You see, she calls a lot, because she depended on Stan to care for her. She needed him to pick up her medication at the pharmacy. And when I heard her speak, I realized I couldn't just _not_ tell anyone what happened to Stanley. He was a man who was loved – I couldn't just let the memory of him vanish as well as his body."

"So you went to de _police_?" Jubilee asked, shaking her head. She would've never gone to them first.

"I didn't know who else to go to… And it landed me here." He let out a sigh. "And _no one_ has believed me. No one except you two. You _do_, don't you?"

Remy's eyes rested on Jubilee, waiting on her approval. If _she_ thought it was possible, then so would he. After all, she did seem to be the only expert in this world on anything of the mutant sort. Remy observed as she looked into the old man's eyes and said, "I do."

Richard's facial muscles relaxed suddenly. And he now didn't appear to be so old.

"Den so do I," Remy agreed.

Richard was breathless for a moment. "Th-thank you."

"But you gotta to do yourself a favor, _mon Ami,_" Remy explained seriously. "You gotta start pretendin' to come to yer senses. Dey ain't gonna let you outta dis joint otherwise."

"You mean you won't _tell_ them you believe me?" he asked incredulously, gesturing towards the staff desk.

"_Non_," Remy shook his head. "What good would it do if dey lock _us_ up too?"

"So what _are_ you going to do?" When they didn't respond, he realized they weren't here just to hear a story. "You're gonna find them?"

"Mebbe," Remy replied vaguely.

Remy stood up, motioning for Jubilee to do so. She followed suit as Remy held his hand out to Richard.

Richard took his hand appreciatively. Remy leaned in and said, "You ain't crazy, old man, and you know dat. Dat's all dat matters. Make your 'recovery' seem kinda gradual. Jus' tell 'em a visit from _family_ made you come to your senses." Remy winked at him.

The old man nodded wearily, dumbfounded.

And with that, he led Jubilee out of the room. She looked back and let a lingering smile fall on the tired old man.

As he met her eyes again, Richard Bates smiled for the first time in days.

**Los Angeles Flowerama  
Saturday, August 30****th****, 11:00 am**

Jubilee kicked dirt around the ground behind the flower shop and yawned as Remy investigated the area near where Richard had said he was killed. Luckily, the shop had been closed since the incident. The backyard was gated by a tall wooden fence, probably serving as another good reason why Richard was the only witness to this crime.

She sighed contentedly and looked up at the bright morning sky, pulling her shades down over her blue eyes. She was very pleased with Remy for letting her keep her brown contacts _off_ while they were in California, but it was only under the condition that she would wear her sunglasses. Jubilee was correct though; there no one on the lookout for her here.

"Quit kickin' de dirt around, _Petite_," Remy said to her. "You'll mess up de scene."

She pouted. "What is this, CSI: Los Angeles?"

"Somet'ing like dat," he replied, not looking at her. He noted a fresh dent in the fence and the flower pots that were haphazardly knocked over at some point. "Dere was _def'nitely_ a fight here."

Jubilee rolled her eyes and said, "Then why aren't the police still investigating? This place should be taped off!"

"Pretty sure dey t'ought dat Richard Bates was a loony. Prob'ly never even came to look. Article lied."

"There goes the last drop of my faith in the LAPD," Jubilee muttered. "Not that there was much left to begin with."

Remy began to grope awkwardly at the air. He looked sort of like a malfunctioning mummy in Jubilee's eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"_What_ are you doing?" she asked, lifting her sunglasses up to get a better look at him.

"Remy be lookin' for a 'hole in de air'," Remy replied, quoting Richard Bates as he continued to grasp around clumsily.

"He said it was visible," Jubilee laughed. "Stop that, you're embarrassing yourself."

He threw an annoyed look at her. "Remy ain't ever seen a vortex in his life. Have _you_?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully, "Something _like_ a vortex, but just a couple times."

Remy looked at her dumbfounded and shook his head. Was there anything this kid _hadn't_ done?

"It's a long story," Jubilee sighed at his facial expression. "But I kinda hopped a wormhole without permission. It was made by a guy named Gateway."

"You t'ink dis _Gateway_ had anyt'ing to do wit' dis?" Remy gestured to the scene of the scuffle.

"Not likely," Jubilee looked at him skeptically and shrugged. "Anyway, I think the key to this mystery is to know _why_ they killed Stanley Machinski. I mean, what made _him_ so special? If we figure _that_ out, then maybe we can figure-"

She was cut off suddenly as Remy put a finger to her mouth, shushing her. She blinked and realized there were voices approaching from beyond the fence.

"-_The guy is actin' insane,_" a deep voiced male laughed nearby. "_It's not like he's had any credibility to begin with._"

"_You remember what the boss said though_," another voice said. "_We're not supposed to leave witnesses. I don't understand how we didn't notice the old man was even here. It's bad enough that he saw us kill the guy, let alone see us frickin' teleport._"

"_Why don't we just off the cretin?"_

"_What part of 'under the radar' don't you understand? If we off the geezer, people will definitely notice. He's gotten enough attention as it is. That's why we gotta clean up the mess here. We can't go back 'til we do or the boss'll kill us."_

The door to the fence began to jiggle. Remy glanced at Jubilee and watched as her face made the dramatic transition from teenager to warrior. She stepped back into a fighting stance, eyes glued to the jiggling handle of the fence.

"Be prepared," she whispered to Remy. "If they're part of the reason I'm here in your world, then they're _definitely_ mutants."

Remy nodded as the gate opened.

Two dumbfounded goons stopped as soon as they entered and stared in awe at the pair who stood in the yard. The huskier one cried out in surprise, "What the _hell_ are you two doin-!"

He was cut off abruptly when Jubilee's small fist met his face.

"Surprise, surprise," Jubilee chanted with a menacing smile as the man stumbled backwards, stunned. Behind her, she could hear Remy tackle the other guy. Her opponent recovered quickly and advanced on her. She ducked as he roared and swung his bulky arms forward to grab her. She side-stepped easily out of the way of his clumsiness and let the man surge forward unbalanced. He stumbled and fell into some flower pots.

She rounded on him, grabbing a decorative garden rock from the ground and smashed it into his head. She was sure he wasn't going to get up anytime soon.

Jubilee turned toward her companion to see how he was fairing and smiled, feeling rather impressed that Remy had his own opponent in a severe headlock. He was certainly no Gambit, but she could see now that Strange Remy was not an amateur when it came to combat skills. She knew really shouldn't have felt so surprised, but she was.

Remy spared a glance at her as he struggled with the man. All of a sudden, his eyes moved past her, fear on his face. "_P'tite!"_

Fortunately, her instincts were much faster than her assailant's ability to fire a weapon. In an instant, she twisted her body and thrust her hands out, emitting an explosion of bright hot plasma. It _cackled_ and _popped_ for several long seconds until her opponent, who had apparently recovered from the rock-smashing faster than anticipated, yelped and fell back.

The gun fell from the man's burnt hands and she felt Remy grab her shoulder. Remy pulled her back away from her attacker roughly. He proceeded to assault his new enemy with a brutal punch in the gut. Grabbing him by the collar, Remy dragged the man up the fence to stand, his eyes enraged that this monster of a man would dare to even think to pull a gun on a kid.

In his haste to protect Jubilee from the firearm, Remy had lost control of his own adversary, who had escaped from the yard in the confusion.

"_You!_" Remy's current captive spat at Jubilee suddenly, ignoring as Remy detained him against the fence. "You _bitch!_" he screamed at her, almost unaware of Remy's hold on him. A growl emitted from Remy's throat and he thrust a knee into the man's groin.

The man coughed and groaned, doubling over in immense pain.

Jubilee winced at the sight. "Kinda brutal, Rem," she remarked, slight put off by Remy's behavior.

Remy didn't answer, but pulled the man up to stand again. The man once more didn't seem to care that Remy was pinning him by the throat. "It's _you_," he rasped, looking up past Remy and straight at Jubilee with a disgusted look on his face.

"Me _who_?" Jubilee asked, confused. She stepped forward to get a closer look at him. He seemed to recognize her, _hate_ her even, but she as sure she'd never seen him before.

"You _freak! Heathen!_" he screamed at her as she came closer. "You stay away from me! You – you _MUTIE!_"

Jubilee blinked at the word he just used and stepped back in shock. That couldn't be right.

Remy raised an eyebrow at Jubilee's reaction and had to tighten his grip on the man who began muttering violent expletives at the young girl.

"Let him go," Jubilee said suddenly.

"What?" Remy asked bewildered. "_Porquoi?_"

"Just do it!" Jubilee insisted, pulling on Remy's arm.

He hesitated, but the intense look on her face made him comply with her request. He let go of the sputtering man, who at the first chance of freedom shoved Remy out of the way and stumbled out of the yard, disappearing from sight.

Remy turned to Jubilee, who looked white with excitement.

"_Petite_, why-"

"C'mon!" Jubilee interrupted harshly, yanking Remy by the elbow. "We gotta follow him wherever he's headed!"

"_Why_?" Remy asked as followed her lead. "What's goin' on?"

"He's not a mutant!" Jubilee explained as they sprinted from the yard and trailed after him. "He's _human_, and he's from _my _world!"

**Half a Mile from the Los Angeles Flowerama  
Saturday, April 30****th****, 11:45 am**

The man ran for six blocks from the flower shop and ducked into an alley, panting hard. He grabbed at his chest and hissed. His head was bleeding from where the girl hit him with a rock. He leaned down against the brick wall of the building and stared at his burnt hands.

"You lose 'em?" a voice asked, startling him.

"Mike?" he breathed. "God you _scared_ me!"

Mike appeared from behind a dumpster. "Yeah, it's me, Vince. They gone?"

Vince nodded furiously. "We gotta tell 'em that she's here," he panted. "In _freaking LA_. _And _she made a friend."

"I know," Mike rolled his eyes impatiently. "I just don't get how she got here. I thought the boss said she was somewhere in New York?"

"Don't know," Vince growled. "You left me for _dead_, you asshole. Where's your gun?"

"Right here." Mike tapped the side of his pants. "It's useless right now. Only got one fuckin' bullet left in it."

"Give it to me," Vince demanded harshly.

"What? No way," Mike shook his head. "You lost _yours_, so deal with it."

"I'm in charge of this damn mission, now _do it!_"

Reluctantly, Mike handed the other man his firearm. Vince pocketed it without a thank you.

"Lookit my fuckin' hands!" Vince held his burnt fingers up towards his colleague, who jumped back as though he was contagious.

"_Don't_ touch me with those!" he yelled. "You got _mutant_ _dirt_ all over you, it's disgusting!"

There was a sudden flare of _paff_ and they turned to see Jubilee step into the alley, hands blazing. "That's a little _offensive_, now isn't it?"

Remy stepped in behind her, effectively cornering the men in the dead-end alley.

They stared daggers at Jubilee, who seemed a little too amused at their reactions. "It's _Mike_, is it?" she asked with a small smile.

"Don't _talk_ to me, you little whore!" he spat, stepping back.

"I'm just curious," Jubilee said almost conversationally, stepping closer. "So tell me. What brings you two to this… _neighborhood_?" She knew they comprehended the double meaning of her question.

They stumbled backwards toward the end of the alley.

"None of your business, you little _bitch_!" Vince snapped. Without a warning, he turned and pressed the the gun he held at Mike's forehead.

Mike stepped back from his colleague, sputtering, "Wh-what are you doing, Vi-?"

His voice was cut off when Vince pulled the trigger without warning, Mike's body falling sickly to the ground in a crumpled heap.

Jubilee's mouth popped open in surprise. Remy put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her behind him in case the gun was turned on them.

"Why de _hell_ did he do dat?" Remy asked her quietly. She shook her head numbly in response.

Vince ignored Mike's twitching body on the ground and said to Jubilee, "You're lucky I only have one bullet. You'll be _dead_ soon enough. I promise you that, _X-Brat_. We'll make sure of it."

He turned his wrist slightly and metal glinted in the sunlight. He pressed something along his arm and a hole in the air, black as night, appeared above Mike's body. Without another word, he climbed through and disappeared.

By the time Remy and Jubilee had scrambled to the spot where the portal had appeared, it was gone as though it were never there. They looked down at Mike's lifeless body. His face no longer looked human. There was blood splattered along the brick wall. Jubilee's wide eyes stared. _Why_ had Vince killed him? It didn't seem logical.

"C'mon, _Petite_," Remy said as he grabbed Jubilee's hand, pulling her away from the body. "We gotta get outta here 'fore de police come."

Jubilee nodded, still numb, as Remy led her away. She looked over her shoulder momentarily.

"Remy," she shook her head, "This isn't normal, even where _I'm_ from!"


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry about the small wait in updates… Softball season has begun and I'm starting second baseman. =D

On a serious note, I really hope this isn't a confusing chapter for everyone. I've gone over it again and again, hoping it makes sense. Eventually I'm going to need a beta reader. Again, thank you for the reviews!

Disclaimer: In addition to X-Men & Flowerama, I don't own the Marriott either.

**Château de France Luncheon Restaurant, Beverly Hills  
Sunday, May 1****st****, 12:25 pm**

"So… I don't exist in this world?" Jubilee asked, trying to put the pieces together.

Remy was in the process of trying to explain exactly why there was no Jubilation Lee in his world. Jubilee had gathered as much previously after the failed interview with the social worker, but she hadn't really thought twice about it. She wasn't sure either world would be able to handle _two_ Jubilees anyway.

"_Non_, Remy got a theory on why you ain't here," Remy explained. He pulled out a manila folder and handed it to her.

She took it and opened it slowly. She squinted and lifted her sunglasses to the top of her head. "It's a copy of a birth certificate," she observed. She flipped the page over, eyebrows raised. "And a death certificate."

"Lookit de name, _Petite_."

"Julie Lee."

"And when was she born?" Remy asked.

"May 12th, almost sixteen years ago." Realization dawned on her. She flipped back to the death certificate. "She died two days later," Jubilee said as she pulled her shades back down to cover her eyes.

"De baby was born premature," Remy explained. "Never made it to July 4th."

"Hence why she was named _Julie_," Jubilee concluded. "No ridiculous patriotic name for a baby who was never born on the fourth of July. I wonder what went wrong."

"Don't know, _Petite_. But maybe in your world, you survived 'cause of your mutation."

"Maybe," Jubilee replied softly as she bit her lip. "Did I – Was my mom physically affected by the premature birth?"

"Not dat I know of." Remy eyed her suspiciously. That wasn't a question he'd expected.

Jubilee handed him back the manila folder, not wanting to see the certificates anymore. He took them silently as he sipped his water.

"So," Jubilee started uneasily, changing the subject. "How long do you think we have to wait for our next clue?"

"No idea," Remy replied. "But while we're here, we may as well get dis over wit', right? 'Sides, Remy knows how much you _love_ waiting around."

He winked and Jubilee rolled her eyes at him.

It had been a day since their encounter with the mysterious non-mutants from Jubilee's world. After escaping the scene before the police arrived, they had nothing more to do but wait for another opportunity to arise. Jubilee was beginning to become antsy again, and Remy was starting to feel the wrath of her uncontainable excitement. He'd been keeping an eye out for mysterious deaths in the area, making only minimal contact with Diane.

"Check your three o'clock," Remy whispered suddenly just before he put a forkful of salad into his mouth.

Jubilee's head turned sharply to the right as she observed a family of three laughing as they entered the restaurant. Her breath hitched at the sight of her the man, her father. He was just as tall, just as handsome as she remembered. She was surprised to see that he looked older than she'd remembered. There were lines by the corners of his mouth that she'd never seen before. She had to remind herself that in her world, they had died when she was almost twelve. Four years had passed since. Her mother looked older too; her pale porcelain skin seemed to reflect in the sunlight. She was elegant and well-dressed as always, emitting an awareness of wealth and beauty. Something Jubilee couldn't explain began to tug painfully in the pit of her stomach.

"You starin', _Petite_," Remy shook his head at her.

Abruptly, she turned her head away from the sight of them. She was glad she was wearing her shades, because she felt inexplicably embarrassed with Remy sitting there watching her reaction to her 'family'. Forcing down the lump in her throat, she threw a more casual glance at her parents.

Her heart pounded. They were the same… yet _different_. Her eyes wandered over to the young girl sitting between them. She had to be perhaps ten or twelve years old, about the age Jubilee had been when she became an orphan. Jubilee realized at once that Julie's premature birth had _not_ inhibited her mother's ability to have more children. It turns out Julie had a little sister some years after her death. The girl, Jubilee observed, looked very much like herself: a younger, brown-eyed, and _happier_ little sister.

She took in the sight of all three of them – together. It was a scene she had rarely experienced in her own life. The family she saw before her resembled nothing of the family she once had. Her parents were more self-involved than the pair she saw here. Her father was a scientist in breakthrough medicine. Her mother was the epitome of the American dream as a successful Asian American businesswoman. While love was never a question, quality time always was. She watched with a tight jaw as Jon Lee placed a loving hand on his daughter's shoulder and as Joy Lee held her menu up to the girl, speaking animatedly. She suddenly realized that Julie's death must've changed her parents in some way; they were far more attentive to the young girl here. The sight of this family made Jubilee feel nauseous.

She realized at that moment that the mysterious feeling in the pit of her stomach was jealousy.

"_Petite_," Remy's hushed voice interrupted her thoughts. "Your hands!"

Jubilee jumped, startled by the sight of her hands, which were glowing from plasma seeping out. Her emotions were triggering her powers and she hadn't realized it. She yelped and accidentally knocked over her glass, which shattered noisily to the floor. She shoved her hands furiously into her pockets to avoid them being seen. Needless to say, she had drawn the attention of the restaurant patrons. Red-faced, she got up without a word, hands still in her pockets and stalked out of the restaurant hurriedly.

Away from Remy's prying eyes, away from the perfectly happy Lee family who watched her curiously, away from the life she could never have.

Remy shook his head as he apologized to the waitress and left some cash on the table before he promptly followed her out.

**Grand Chalet Marriott, Los Angeles  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 1:12 am**

That evening she lay still in the moonlight, sleeping somewhat restlessly. After lunch earlier that day, they'd made a long and quiet trek back to the hotel. Remy had not prodded her about it, and for that she was glad. She'd known all along it would be a bittersweet moment to see her parents. Despite the pain it left inside of her, she was glad to see that they were alive and happy – even if it meant not being with her. At least now she _knew_. And in her eyes, knowing and feeling pain was better than not knowing at all.

Now she was asleep, but just barely. The sight of her parents triggered memories of her past, some long forgotten. A hazy vision of performing at a gymnastics meet and looking out disappointedly for familiar faces that weren't there. Sitting uncomfortably in the principal's office with her mother and hearing the words "learning disability" and "dyscalculia" over and over again. Standing alone at her parents' funeral. Being dropped off at her first foster home. Frying her first toaster and being sent to Juvie for it. Escaping Juvie. Sprinting through a mall with a cocky grin. The Australian Outback. Wolvie and the X-Men, her new family. Generation X, her friends. As the memories blurred by, a recently lost memory on the tip of her subconscious nipped at her.

Jubilee tossed suddenly in her sleep as the clear flashback infiltrated her dreams.

* * *

_Xavier's Academy for Gifted Youngsters  
Friday, March 11__th__, 10:45 pm_

"I've got the ultimate solution to our problem," Jubilee announced importantly as she stepped into Everett Thomas's bedroom doorway, part of their home in Emma Frost's mansion in Massachusetts.

"What problem?" Everett replied, without looking up from where he lay sprawled on his bed reading a comic book.

"The _birthday_ problem," she clarified, as though it were plainly obvious.

"There _is_ no birthday problem," he said, still not looking up from his comic. He now understood what she was talking about. Today was Angelo's eighteenth birthday. He and the rest of the teenagers had gone to the local 18+ club. She and Everett, as the youngest members, had been unable to attend due to the age restriction. "I'll be eighteen in a month."

Jubilee pouted jealously. She still had a little over two years before she would turn eighteen. "But you're not eighteen _today_," she pointed out unnecessarily.

"Yeah, thanks for pointing that out," he looked up at her, curiosity at her behavior finally pulling his attention away from the comic. "I think I know how old I am, thanks."

"What if I could fix that?" she said mysteriously as she sauntered over to the bed and plopped down next to him. He wasn't sure he liked the mischievous smile on her face.

"I'm pretty sure your powers don't include _aging_," he said as he sat up. "What's gotten into you?"

Jubilee sighed. "Aren't you _tired_ of being the youngest two people on this team?"

"No. I'm only a month younger than Ange," Everett explained. "You, on the other hand-"

"_Exactly_," Jubilee interrupted. "That's one whole _month_ you won't be able to hit the club."

"It's not that big a deal," Everett shook his head. "Why're you trying to get me down anyway?"

"Oh, Ev," Jubilee shook her head dramatically. "Oh, my dear _naïve _Everett Thomas. Can't you understand that I'm trying to _help_ you?"

"What do you-"

He stopped short when Jubilee suddenly waved two fake IDs in his face.

"Where the _hell_ did you get those?" he demanded as he went to take them from her.

She was too fast for him, whipping them just out of his reach. "I have my sources," she explained vaguely. She flashed a wicked smile at him. "So come on! Get dressed! Frosty and Cassidy finally went to bed!"

"Are you _crazy_?" Everett's eyes went wide. "Ms. Frost is a _telepath_! How were you able to sneak around getting these?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "_Hello_, duh. My brain has built in _psionic shielding_. Why do you think I waited so long to tell you? Now synch me so your loudmouth brain doesn't give us away!"

He hesitated before he complied. It suddenly made sense how she was able to get away with so many hijinks recently. "The _only_ reason I'm synching you is because if she finds out, you'll find a way to weasel _me_ into trouble too!"

"Don't be a _baby_, Ev," she teased. "Try acting like a big boy."

"I'm not a baby," he threw a pillow at her. "If you really want to act like an adult, then you wouldn't try to con the world into thinking you're eighteen."

"Who said we'd be _eighteen_?" Jubilee smiled evilly as she waved the IDs once more in his face.

This time he was faster. He grabbed the IDs from her and stared in awe. "You're freaking _nuts_, Lee!"

"Eighteen to get in," Jubilee chanted, "Twenty-one to have fun! Besides, _you_ can pass for twenty-one; you're pretty well built. We can thank the extra Danger Grotto sessions." She saw she was winning when temptation flashed across Everett's face.

"And what about _you_? You don't even look _fifteen_ yet and you already _are_!"

Jubilee pouted. That was a low blow. "That's nothing a pair of heels and some makeup can't fix," she said confidently.

"It'd have to be pretty _dark_ for _that _to work," Everett rolled his eyes.

She ignored his comment. "Don't you wanna go to Ange's birthday party?" she said sweetly with a smile.

"Well, yes, but-"

"And _don't_ you wanna see the looks on their stuck-up faces when we get in _and _order drinks?" she asked, referring to their of-age teammates.

"Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far-"

"We can just _order_ drinks, we don't actually have to ingest alcohol if you don't want to-"

"I don't wanna drink anyway, Lee!"

"So what's the _problem_?" She placed a hand on her hip. She raised an eyebrow at him. "You've seriously _never_ used a fake ID?"

When he didn't reply, she rolled her eyes again. "Wake up from your suburbanite paradise, Ev. If there's one thing I've learned from my time on the streets, it's if an opportunity jumps right in your face, you gotta take it! How else do you think I ended up with the X-Men? Now quit wasting our time. It's already eleven o'clock. Get dressed."

He didn't respond right away. "And if we get caught?"

"Then being grounded is a _small _price to pay for a night like tonight," she concluded with a confident smile.

* * *

In an instant, Jubilee was wide awake. She sat up, the memory still reeling in her head.

**Grand Chalet Marriott, Los Angeles  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 1:30 am**

"_Remy?"_

Jubilee's voice stirred him awake. Somewhat anyway. He didn't respond.

"_Rem."_

He grunted incoherently, but otherwise did not move.

"_Strange Remy!"_ Jubilee hissed impatiently.

He felt something hit his leg. He lifted a lazy head and peered at her in the dark. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, twisting her hands nervously. He blinked. "What's wrong, _Petite_?" he asked.

"I think I know why I was in New York and not Massachusetts," she announced softly. "That night, I mean. When I came here."

Here. This world. Where she didn't belong.

Remy stared at her silently.

"Why's dat?" he asked, now feeling a little more awake. He sat up and turned the table light on. He was glad he'd fallen asleep in jogging pants this night. She looked tired, and somehow painfully younger than she had a day earlier.

"I was grounded," she explained with an awkward laugh. "My friend Ev and I, actually. We snuck into a club with fake IDs. We got caught, pretty ungracefully might I add. Anyway, we were grounded and banned from a team trip to Cancun. Ev was so pissed at me, 'cause it was all my idea. I tried to take all the blame for it, but Cassidy said that he was older than me he was responsible for his own choices. Anyway, they left us at Xavier's mansion in New York while the others got to go." She paused for a moment. "I think Ev was still mad at me when I disappeared."

Remy blinked, taking in the meaning of her small rant. "You remember anyt'ing else? 'Bout dat night?"

Jubilee shook her head, feeling weary of the day's events. Her headache was getting worse with the newly surfacing memories. "No."

She looked as though she was about to say something, but stopped. She fidgeted uncomfortably for a moment.

"Out wit' it," Remy demanded gently.

"Wolvie used to let me stay with him at night sometimes," she whispered painfully.

Remy comprehended her unsaid request and nodded. He could see she was feeling more homesick tonight than usual, probably stirred by revisiting her live parents. He sighed and watched her, wishing he had never have agreed to let her see them. It had to be traumatizing. "C'mere, _ma Petite_," he said softly.

She crawled in next to him gratefully and he tucked his blanket around her small frame. As she lay curled up against his side, he was again reminded of how young she really was. No matter what this girl had been through, behind all that bravado she was still just fifteen.

"I miss him," she said quietly, referring to the feral she had come to know and love.

"Remy knows," he whispered soothingly. "He misses you too."

"It's not the same as before," she mumbled. "When I was at school, he was just a jet away. And it's not like he went away on a personal mission or something. Even if we were back in New York, he's still a world away. What if I never see him again?"

"T'ought Remy tol' you?" Remy said as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "We gonna do everyt'ing we can to get you where you belong."

"And if we can't," Jubilee concluded grimly, "I can add Wolvie and the team to the list of people I'll never see again."

Remy wasn't sure how to respond to her pessimistic point of view. She'd had too many people ripped from her life thus far; there was nothing he could say to remedy the experiences that had already been ingrained into her memories.

Jubilee yawned and added sleepily, "Whether I make it back or not, I'll always be happy I met you."

Remy smiled at her sincere words.

Several minutes later, her breathing steadied. Soon after he knew she was asleep.

"Me too, _Petite_," he whispered to her finally.

**Grand Chalet Marriott, Los Angeles  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 2:46am**

This time it was his turn to wake her.

"_Petite_," he whispered, shaking her shoulder.

She stirred, mumbling loudly. "Wha-"

He clamped his hand over her mouth. She blinked and looked up at him. He was tense. His head was tilted as though listening to something in the distance. Instantly, she was awake. She shoved his hand away and sat up, just as tense.

There was soft movement coming from the living room. Someone had entered their suite and was creeping around beyond Remy's bedroom door.

Jubilee crawled out of bed and crept to the door, Remy close behind her.

"How many?" she whispered.

"Sounds like two, maybe t'ree," Remy replied. "T'ink we can handle it, but dey may be packin' heat."

Jubilee nodded, feeling her adrenaline come alive. All trace of sleepiness was gone. "I can stun them momentarily and set them off guard. We'll have maybe five point five to seven seconds to subdue them."

Remy raised an eyebrow at her. "You know de exact time?"

"We practice and time our powers a lot," Jubilee shrugged as she explained. "Ready?"

Remy nodded and placed his hand on the doorknob.

"Cover your eyes when I do it," she demanded.

Remy nodded again and raised his hand up and counted down with his fingers from three.

Just after his third finger went down, he threw the door open and Jubilee charged out.

"Yeaaarrrghh!" Jubilee cried as she flashed an explosion of plasma into her first victim's face, who was just outside the bedroom door. He grabbed his already-blistering face and went down instantly, wailing in pain. Behind him, her powers had already had the other two intruders on their knees covering their eyes.

She charged at the closer one with a powerful jump kick to his chest. He fell back but caught her fist as she flew forward to punch him. He pulled a gun out with his other hand, but Jubilee twisted easily out of his clumsy grip and kneed his groin. The gun fell from his hands and she kicked it out of his reach. "How you like that, tough guy?" she chided as she scrambled away from him.

Meanwhile, Remy had tackled the third intruder. This man was strong, and despite having been blinded temporarily, was able to counter-attack Remy.

"Ooomph!" Remy grunted as he fell onto his back. Wasting no time, he used his legs to flip the man as he came charging. In the chaos of being flipped, the man's firearm went off, shattering a meal tray from their pervious dinner. Remy scrambled up and body-slammed the man once again. The man was still somewhat disoriented from Jubilee's attack, and Remy was thankful. He snaked his arm around the man's neck. Before long, the man went limp as Remy choked him out.

He heard a crash next to him and saw Jubilee holding a broken lamp over her opponent's body. She was barefoot and breathing heavily, but she seemed all right.

The man who had taken a full blast of Jubilee's plasma to the face was the only one left conscious. He was on the ground muttering profanities, clearly in pain. Remy walked over to him and turned the man over so he was facing upward. His face was a ferocious red and burnt from Jubilee's initial attack. Remy almost felt sorry for him.

"Fwuck ooo!" the man muttered as he dribbled on himself, the burns making him slur.

Jubilee snickered.

"Ah," Remy smiled, poking the man's blistered face and watching him squirm. "Now, who sent dis poor, _unfortunate_ man to visit us?"

The man didn't reply, but heaved angrily. He then sputtered violently as though he was trying to cuss at them some more.

"Don't think he's gonna talk, Rem," Jubilee said.

"Don' t'ink he _can_," Remy added, "not after that explosion to de face."

"Shall we put him outta his misery?"

The man's eyes went wide at her suggestion. He tried to struggle against Remy who held him down.

"Relax, _mon Amie_," Remy rolled his eyes as Jubilee got up and grabbed the other lamp on the table next to her. "Ain't gonna _off_ you."

Jubilee took a dramatic practice swing with the lamp before she tossed it to Remy.

"Yeah," Jubilee agreed as she leaned down in front of the man's face with a wicked grin. "Who do you think we are? _You_?"

Before the man could argue or drool more, Remy brought the lamp down on his head.

Jubilee winced slightly as he pulled a piece of shattered lamp off the man's face.

"You really did a number on his face, _Petite_," Remy remarked as he fished into the man's pockets. He pulled out a wallet and some folded diner receipts.

"Yeah," Jubilee shrugged sheepishly as she made her way to the other two men. "My fireworks for some reason had an extra kick to 'em just now. Don't know why; it's never happened like that before. Think he'll scar?"

"S'not really Remy's main concern at dis point, _non_?"

Jubilee reached into several pockets and dug out more paper. "I guess not."

"Find anyt'ing?" Remy asked as he heard sirens in the distance. They had to move fast now.

"This guy's name is Frank Simms," Jubilee shrugged as she tossed his ID and credit cards aside. "Ooooh, money," Jubilee smiled as she pocketed the green paper.

"Grab his gun," Remy instructed. She complied and tossed it to him. "And de other guy?" Remy asked. Jubilee tossed him the other intruder's wallet and weapons. He fished it open and pulled out a driver's license. He didn't bother looking at the name. On one of the inside pockets, he found a folded piece of paper. "An address." He pocketed the receipts and address.

"_Petite_," Remy started, "Go pack y-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jubilee interrupted as the sirens grew louder and closer. "We made a lot of noise. Time to jet!"

**Private Dock along the Pacific Ocean, NW Santa Monica  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 7:06am**

"What _is_ this place?" Jubilee asked, popping her gum.

"It's de location of de address in de man's wallet," Remy explained. "It's a private dock for some petroleum an' oil company. Diner receipts are from dis area too."

They were perched atop a cargo unit labeled Oblivion Fuel in what looked like the company's bay area leading to the ocean.

"I know what it _looks_ like," Jubilee replied exasperatedly. "But what _is_ it? I mean, _really_? It's supposed to look like a dock, and it does. But if this is a fuel dock, then where's the pungent smell of gasoline or petrol? All I smell is bleach and sea salt. And why isn't everything greasy and gross? Where are the _boats_?" She gestured towards the water where only a couple small boats lay. "I doubt those are strong enough to carry the kind of cargo we're sitting on."

Remy smiled at her intuition. He'd noticed all of these as well. There was also a hint of another smell in the air, one he wasn't sure he wanted to share with Jubilee. "Remy be t'inkin' de same thing, _Petite_."

"And where is everyone?" Jubilee continued. "It's like seven in the frickin' morning. These types of places start early, right? Or should be twenty-four hour operational. Shouldn't it take like hundreds of men to run a place like this?"

"_Oui_," Remy agreed. He scanned the area briefly. There was not a soul in sight. "C'mon."

He led her off the cargo unit and through the yard towards a large brick building. They crept quietly through the mess of units for several hundred meters. Jubilee had been right; this place was too neat and empty to be a fuel yard.

Remy felt Jubilee go rigid as the scent he'd detected earlier became stronger. He looked over his shoulder at her and noted how her face scrunched up disgustedly.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asked, looking a little nauseous.

Remy nodded grimly.

"How many bodies do you think they got stocked up here?"

"Don' know," he replied. "Can't tell if de smell is from _one_ t'ing dat been rottin' for a _long while_, or_ a lot_ of t'ings rottin' for a _short while_."

"Well whichever one it is, let's try out best not to run into the source of that smell," Jubilee suggested. She hiked up the front of her hoodie to cover her nose.

"Wonder why dey stockin' bodies in a supposed fuel yard," Remy thought out loud. "Little suspicious, you t'ink?"

"Maybe they're a bunch of Stanley Machinskis," Jubilee offered. "I bet he ain't the only one who got popped and disappeared mysteriously. I bet his body is here somewhere."

"Possible," Remy replied.

"Whoah!" Jubilee exclaimed suddenly as she turned a corner. Remy followed and whistled in appreciation at the fine weapon that sat before them: an anti-aircraft gun. Jubilee circled the large gun appreciatively. "I've never fired one of these before."

"Now why in de _hell_ would a fuel company need _dis_?" Remy shook his head. Things were getting weirder and weirder.

He led her away from the monstrous gun and further into the yard.

After several silent minutes, they came to a stop as the cargo units parted for a lengthy paved pathway leading towards the ocean. There was an oversized garage door on the building at the other end of the pavement.

"_Oh_," Jubilee realized as she finally smelled a source of fuel – but not the kind this fake yard advertised. It smelled to her more like _jet_ fuel. "I get it. This ain't a dock! It's a hangar!"

"Remy t'ink you right, _P'tite_," he nodded. "Now why d'ere be a small airstrip in the middle of a place like dis?"

"Maybe that's the point," Jubilee suggested, even though she knew Remy already connected the dots before her. "A port to disguise a different means of transportation. An illegal and unregistered one, I bet. This place doesn't exactly make par for regulations of an air strip…"

Suddenly, the hangar began to hum noisily; its doors were opening. Remy pulled Jubilee back and out of view as the doors opened wider. There was a group of men standing near the entrance speaking animatedly next to a small jet. However, Remy and Jubilee were too far away to hear the conversation.

Remy tugged at Jubilee's hood to motion her to follow him. They crept stealthily closer to the entrance to eavesdrop, Jubilee pressed against Remy's back to hear better.

"-_and where the hell are those three idiots?_" they heard a voice say.

"_I _told_ you_," came the recognizable voice of their former murderous opponent Vince, "_that three men wouldn't be enough to take 'em down_."

"_It's just a man and a kid_," someone else piped in. "_There's no way-"_

"_The kid is a _mutant_, you moron_," Vince said tersely as though it were obvious what that meant.

"_So what?"_

"_Haven't you ever met a mutant before?" _Vince asked.

"_Actually, yeah, and I don't see what the big deal is."_

"_What are you, a mutie lover?" _came Vince's harsh reply.

"_This ain't an FOH meeting, Vince, so stop pressing your views on everyone else here."_

"_I ain't gonna associate with someone commits atrocious sin by making love to mutants!"_

"_And yet you seem to have no qualms associating with people who traffic? You're a real hypocritical saint, Vince, a real fuckin'-"_

Someone else cut them off, _"This isn't exactly the time or place for a political argument, fellas."_

Jubilee's lips tightened grimly in surprise. So these guys _weren't_ associated with Church or Friends of Humanity. But they were still human and from her world. So why were they here? How? If not an anti-mutant organization, then who were they?

"_Any news on Sector XII's elusive target in the big apple?"_ someone asked.

"_Which one? The Mutie or the bitch?" _

"_The X-Brat is our problem now that she's in our sector. Sector XII wants nothing to do with her anyway. Apparently she fucked up a lot of Main HQ personnel before she stumbled into the portal. Pissed 'em all off."_

Jubilee felt a jolt of pride at the man's statement. She may not remember what happened that night, but it certainly sounded like her style. Remy shook his head at her cocky grin, knowing he was going to hear her gloat about this later.

"_And what about the bitch? Diane Ling? They catch her yet?"_

Remy's stomach tightened at the name. So these were the men who were tailing her for the past several days. He noted that Jubilee bit her lip worriedly. Why were they after Diane?

"_Nope," _Vince replied. _"She's a sneaky bitch. They keep losing track of her."_

At this, Remy relaxed, but only slightly.

"_Don't' see what the big deal is_ _anyway, man. Why not just let this one go? There are plenty of other people to target. One lost target won't change anything."_

"_She's a loose end, moron."_ They could hear the venom in Vince's voice. _"They'll probably just kill her instead of using her like they originally intended to, since she's proving to be too much of a nuisance."_

Remy gripped Jubilee's wrist, pulling her closer as he peeked around the corner. He saw Vince, hate boiling inside of himself at the sight, standing immersed in conversation with five other men.

"_Anyway," _Vince continued nonchalantly. _"We're scheduled to head back to the other side at 0800 so get your shit together. And, James, grab the bum to open the portal." _

He gestured to one of the men, an African American man with a stocky build, who muttered as he stalked out of view, _"I hate this part."_

Jubilee's forehead creased as she mouthed the words "this part" to herself confusedly. What exactly was he referring to?

She didn't have to wait long to find out. She peered around the corner behind Remy to watch James reappear with a man who was bound, blindfolded, and gagged.

_"All right, all right,"_ James grunted as he shoved the captive towards Vince. The man fell to his knees painfully. _"Get it over with. Make someone else clean up the mess when we get back. I did it last time; I ain't doin' it again."_

Vince pulled out his pistol and raised it to the unsuspecting victim's head. Jubilee jumped back and covered her ears as the shot rang out, but peered around the corner in time to watch the six men disappearing into a portal that opened above their victim's body. The portal disappeared after the last one, Vince, stepped through, the metal device on his wrist beeping softly.

"Why the _hell_ does he keep doing that?" Jubilee cried out in horror at the corpse that now lay on the hangar's cement floor. "At least we know now why there's a heavy dead body smell hovering all over the damn place."

"_Merde_," Remy frowned as he motioned for Jubilee to follow now that the coast was clear. They made their way quietly towards the building, trying to keep out of view in case anyone else was present. "Don't t'ink anyone else is here."

"At least they're stupid," Jubilee remarked as they crept their way into the opening. "They left the hangar door open."

"Don't t'ink dey expected unauthorized personnel to be in their port. Dey a bit arrogant. Seen folks like dem before; dey get sloppy 'cause dey t'ink dey can't get caught."

"Still though," Jubilee said. "Works out for us."

They approached the bloody mess of a man on the floor. He was dressed in dirty and raggedy clothes. His skin was greyed from dirt. He didn't exactly smell like sunshine and roses either.

"He looks homeless," Jubilee said somewhat sadly. "I bet no one's looking for him."

"Maybe dat's de point. You t'ink it's a coincidence dat another portal opened after our pal Vince shot someone else?" Remy asked. "Remember, Richard Bates said dat a black hole appeared over Stanely's body at the flower shop after he was killed."

Jubilee shook her head. "You think that's how the jump between our worlds works?"

Remy shrugged, unsure. He paused as he looked around the hangar. "Well, Remy don't know really. _You're_ the expert on how weird t'ings work. Vortexes an' portals."

"I guess it _could_ be possible," Jubilee wondered out loud. "Maybe they need like a life energy transfer to power up their transporty-device-thing. The ugly metal thing on Vince's wrist, I mean."

"Real scientifical, _Petite_," Remy smiled at her awkward theory. He couldn't really disprove it; after all, he was more willing to believe the unbelievable since Jubilee had come barging into his life.

"You know, Rem," Jubilee said seriously. "I think it really might be possible. Maybe they really do need something like life energy to make the portal appear. I've heard Beast talking about how life itself is a powerful energy source, though I wasn't really paying attention. I don't think I'd be very good at figuring out the technicalities of it…. But if that _is _how it works, then I don't think I wanna _kill_ anyone just to get back to my world."

Remy looked at her and smiled a little proudly at Jubilee, who would not sacrifice someone else to save her own skin. "Hey, we don't know dat's how it works fo' sure yet, _Petite_."

Another thought suddenly occurred to Jubilee. "What if it is? They said I got here by accident, remember? What if someone _died_ when I flew through that vortex? What if it was Ev or an X-Man or-"

"Do you remember anyt'ing like dat happening?" Remy interrupted her.

"No, but-"

"Den ain't no use in worryin' over somet'ing dat may or may not have happened, _oui_?" Remy finished with a reassuring smile.

"Well, I guess not," Jubilee admitted reluctantly.

"Only t'ing we know is you're here by accident. Which means if someone _did_ die, it wasn't your fault."

"Yeah," Jubilee agreed silently. A smile lit up her face suddenly. "_And_ apparently I – what was the phrase – 'fucked up' some bad guys before I got here!" she stated cockily.

Remy tried not to smile. "De Wolverine let you talk like dat?"

Jubilee smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.

"All righ', no more jokes. Now it's time to get down to business. Look around, _Petite_." Remy gave her a small push towards what looked like a side office. "See if we can find out what dey want with Diane and de other targets."

"Right," Jubilee nodded. "Speaking of Diane, have you called her?"

Remy didn't miss the worried tone in her voice she tried to hide. "_Non_, but I'm about to. Keep lookin' around while I give her a call."

When Jubilee disappeared into the office, Remy pulled out his cell and dialed her number quickly.

**Private Dock along the Pacific Ocean, NW Santa Monica  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 8:13 am**

She wasn't picking up. He'd already dialed six times to no avail. He knew he shouldn't be so persistent; she would call back when she got the chance. But he couldn't help the worry that was budding in his heart.

"Seventh time's de charm," he mumbled to himself. His stomach twisted anxiously when she didn't answer after the first ring. And the second. And then the third.

Finally he heard a small _click_, and let out a shaky sigh of relief when he heard Diane Ling answer, _"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Steven?" _The use of another alias was a red flag. She hadn't felt the need to use aliases for the past day. This wasn't good news.

"Listen t'me," Remy said softly. "Some people are after you."

"_Oh, I'm very well aware of that fact, Steven," _Diane replied with a wry laugh. She sounded out of breath.

"Dey'll _kill_ you if you give dem de chance, so _don't _give them one," Remy said seriously.

"_Believe me, it's not an outcome that would be very conducive to my hectic schedule this week. So I don't intend to let that type of obstacle get in my way, I assure you."_

"Right," Remy said, feeling a little foolish for thinking she wouldn't be aware of the stakes. "Any idea why dey be after you?"

"_There seems to be a lot of – what's the word? – _traffic,_" _she emphasized_. "It's near impossible to get anywhere; there must be an event going on or something in the city. The traffic problem is out of hand."_

"You sayin' dis is all about human trafficking?" Remy asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"_Apparently there's a shortage of manual labor these days. Or that's what I hear. Though I must admit that around here, shortage of labor doesn't seem to be an issue. It's like they're talking about a whole _different world_, and not New York City."_

Remy didn't miss the end of her sentence. Was it possible she figured out that Jubilee wasn't from this world? He wouldn't be surprised if he had. And did she mean that people were being trafficked for manual labor into Jubilee's world? "Different world?" Remy repeated.

"_Like blue skies in Asia, Steven," _Diane replied gently, confirming his suspicions with the vague description of Jubilee's eyes and features. Remy couldn't help but smile; she was certainly very good at knowing things she wasn't supposed to.

"_One of my clients is the major labor company here in New York by the name of Oblivion Fuel," _Diane continued, speaking in vague code._ "Anyway, there's a list of potential – ah, let's call them… _employees_, if you catch my drift. Loads of them. Names & locations. Upon further inquiries, it seems that some of them have already been hired. They all have to meet the same criteria: no family to distract them from the job. This way they can travel anywhere and not be tied down."_

"Exactly how big is dis trafficking ring?" Remy asked, comprehending her meaning. They'd uncovered something pretty big here.

"_Think national, but growing. Though the heads in New York seem to own the biggest piece of the pie. There's another company here that's come to my attention, potential clients if you will. There's a huge power source near Rochester, New York at a loading dock and warehouse that has peaked my interest. I'm headed up there to meet with these potential clients as soon as I can."_

Remy smiled again. "Did Remy ever tell you how much he just _loves _working wit' you? So damn informative."

"_Many a time, Steven." _Diane chuckled.

"Listen," Remy instructed, "don't do anyt'ing stupid. Lee and I are on de way back as soon as we can. Just scope it out and wait fo' us, _oui_?"

"_Wouldn't dream of having fun without you two. Though you never know what may happen. I may have to improvise."_

"Remy don't like dat tone-"

"_I've got to go," _she cut off his playful banter abruptly. _"I'm in a rush, Steven, I'll call you back later. Ciao!"_

With that, the line went dead. Remy swore. She was on the run again. He knew she'd be okay, but for the past two days he'd been feeling a little overprotective of her. Since Jubilee had declared the suggestion that they get married, he'd started to more worried about her. He knew she'd find it insulting – and flattering.

He decided to go check on Jubilee's progress. As he approached the small office where he'd sent her, he heard the _sizzling _and _popping_ of her plasma. He peered into the doorway and saw that she was using it as a light. Her plasma seemed to be hovering in the air above her.

"Didn't know you could do dat," Remy remarked in awe, gesturing towards the floating plasma in the room.

"Neither did I," Jubilee said as she looked over her shoulder. She shrugged. "Just found out like twenty minutes ago I could do it. I guess my powers are doing funky things today. Usually I gotta use one hand to keep it steady, but it was getting tiring searching with one hand and lighting up the room with another. So I figured I'd give it a shot."

"What happened to de light?"

"Dismantled it while I was looking around. My plasma's way brighter and better than that cheap, crappy excuse for light anyway." She turned back to the drawer she was rifling through.

It was then that Remy noticed the state of the room. Jubilee had torn the place apart. Literally. Apparently, Remy realized, she'd also had thorough training in the art of snooping. Not a drawer or cabinet was left untouched. She'd even cut holes into the two office chairs and pulled out the stuffing. Every picture frame had been smashed and opened. Even the ball point pens were taken apart. Nothing was left untouched once Jubilee got a hold of it. He shouldn't have been surprised. It seemed to be part of her nature. Destroying things, that is.

"I found a list," she explained without looking up.

"Lemme guess," Remy offered. "Names and locations?"

Jubilee looked up and tossed him a pile of paper. "How'd you know?" she asked curiously.

"Diane found a similar list in New York," Remy answered as he thumbed through the pages. Sure enough, it was a list of names and locations. Some names were circled or checked off. Others had small notes written next to them, noting location changes.

"Is she okay?" Jubilee asked softly. Remy noted the tightness in her voice. He looked at her; she was facing away from him, her head hung low, pretending to sift some more through the drawer.

"She was alive and well when Remy spoke to her," he replied. "What's wrong, _Petite_?"

She didn't answer right away. "They're after her," Jubilee stated finally as she looked up at him from her spot. "And you. Because of me."

"_Non_, _P'tite_," Remy said a tender smile. He should've known she'd feel this way. "Remy don' t'ink dey realize dere's a connection between you and Diane. Dey after her 'cause she ain't got no family or obvious close friends."

"What do you mean?" she whipped around to ask him.

"Dey be lookin' for people who can disappear easily," Remy explained. "Dat's what dis is all about: trafficking. Finding expendable people in dis world to take to yours."

"Oh," Jubilee said softly, processing the information.

"_Oui."_

"Wait a minute!" Jubilee exclaimed, instantly forgetting that she was feeling guilty about dragging Remy and Diane into this mess. "Human trafficking?"

Remy nodded somberly.

"But why here?" Jubilee asked. "Why your world? Why not mine? Why the portals and vortexes and jumping from world to world? Why _kill_ people if they need some for trafficking?"

"Remy assumes it's because no one is lookin' for dem in your world. Easier to traffic you when no one in de world you're in even knows you're missin'."

"That's _sick_," Jubilee crinkled her nose. "And inhumane."

"Agreed," Remy said.

"So let's stop them," Jubilee demanded brightly, pounding a small fist on the desk.

"Dat's de plan, _Petite_."

Jubilee's eyes became unfocused as she thought out loud. "The X-Men _must_ be working on this from their end, right? I mean, that's why we were fighting the night I disappeared. It _has_ to be. So we should help 'em and meet them halfway, right?"

"Remy like de way you t'ink," he declared. "We'll get you home _and _save de world. Two birds, one stone."

"It's what us X-Men do naturally," Jubilee beamed. "So… what's the plan?"

"Why you askin' Remy?" he smiled playfully. "_You're _de superhero."

Jubilee pointed a finger at him. "I come up with great _ideas_. Not great _plans_," she stated pointedly, remembering her terrible execution of the fake ID incident with Everett.

"_Touché_," he agreed. "Well, looks like de Los Angeles sector is just a branch off de main problem. The head honchos are in New York."

"Go figure," Jubilee frowned. "Came all the way here to go all the way back." She paused. "We _are_ going back, right?"

"Absolutely. Diane thinks she may have found their headquarters in upstate New York. De next step is to meet her dere as soon as possible."

"Upstate New York? By chance, would that be anywhere near Rochester?" Jubilee smiled knowingly.

Now it was his turn to be curious. "How you know dat?"

"Check this out," Jubilee threw another stack of documents at him. "It's a communications log. They fly that jet out there back and forth between here, Rochester, and some small port off the coast of Florida. There are other ports, but these are the three most common ones on the log. I even found the coordinates. I think as long as they stay in this world, they just get around like normal people. I think the portals are just for jumping from this world to the mine."

"Great," Remy nodded as he flipped through the log. "Let's head back to LAX airport and hop a flight back to New York."

He turned to lead her out of the room and she followed, letting her plasma light go out. She slowed to a stop in the main bay.

When he realized she wasn't following him anymore, he turned around and saw her standing there smiling. "Come on, _Petite_, we need to get to LAX."

"Why?" she asked innocently, smile unwavering.

"What you mean _why_?" he demanded, eyebrows raising. "Didn't Remy jus' explain? We gotta meet Diane as soon as possible."

Her smile was too impish for his liking. "Yeah," Jubilee nodded. "As soon as possible. Going _all_ the way to LAX seems like a waste of time to me."

He stared incredulously at her. "Did you hit your head again,Jub'lee? How else are we s'posed to get dere? Hike? Take a raft?"

Jubilee crossed her arms and grinned wider, nodding towards the small jet sitting in the middle of the hangar.

Realization dawned on him and he shook his head. "_Non_," he refused sternly.

"Oh, C'mon-!"

"Let Remy put it in words de _Petite_ can understand: HELL NO!" He shook his head again defiantly.

"You're being unreasonable! This isn't a big deal. Look, we got the coordinates," Jubilee exclaimed as she waved a piece of paper at him. "So let's go!" She gestured wildly and excitedly towards the jet.

"We can jus' buy tickets at de airport, _Petite_," Remy argued.

"These goons managed to find us at the _hotel_. I agree that they're dumb, but they're not _that _dumb. I'm pretty darn sure red flags will be raised if we book an _airline ticket_."

Her sudden logic was irritating the hell out of Remy. He stared at her accusingly without a word.

"Do you want to get to Diane quickly or not?" Jubilee rolled her eyes. "I know you're worried about her, and so am I. So the sooner we get to her, the better. You wanted the fastest way back to New York? Well, _here_ it is!"

"Dis is crazy, _Petite_," Remy remarked as he ran a hand through his hair. He couldn't seriously be considering this, could he?

She took his gesture as a go-ahead. "You coming?" she demanded. Without waiting for an answer, she turned and sprinted towards the aircraft.

"Remy is gonna regret this," he muttered knowingly under his breath. Before cussing once more, he raced after her towards the jet.

**Onboard a Stolen Jet  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 12:48 pm**

Several hours later, Remy and Jubilee sat nestled in the cockpit of the jet. Remy wasn't sure if he felt impressed or disturbed that Jubilee managed to hot-wire the aircraft. He admitted that Jubilee had been correct in declaring previously that she indeed knew how to pilot a plane. And she did it _fast_. A flight to LAX from Newark seemed like a waste of time compare to this. No crowds, no lines, no airport security. He thought for a moment he should consider learning to fly. It beat the heck out of public transportation. He wouldn't admit this to her out loud, however.

He eyed his small companion curiously; the sight of her was comical. Her headset looked far too large for her head and she was scooted far forward on the seat to reach the pedals and controls. He'd had to stuff his jacket behind her so she could lean back properly as she piloted the craft. She shot an annoyed glance at him when she realized he was staring.

"What?" He saw her lips move and her voice crackled into his own headset.

"Nothin', _Petite_," Remy shook his head with wry smile. He checked his watch. It was nearing one o'clock in the afternoon. He hoped to get to Rochester soon. According to the navigation system, they were somewhere over New York. It wouldn't be long now. Jubilee had started to descend further.

Suddenly, a stranger cackled into their radio frequency.

"_Oblivion Alpha-Four, this is Oblivion Main, do you copy?"_

Remy's eyes widened as he shot a look at Jubilee. Neither of them responded to the radio call, and Remy was a little disturbed that Jubilee did not seem perturbed by the situation. She continued to fly as though she were only a tiny bit annoyed at the unwanted stranger speaking in their headsets.

"_Oblivion Alpha-Four, this is Oblivion Main, I repeat, do you copy?"_

Jubilee descended the plane even further, peeking down at the horizon. Remy assumed she was looking for a safe place to land.

"_Oblivion Alpha-Four, this is Oblivion Main. You are not authorized to approach HQ. Be advised, if you do not respond or turn away immediately, we will engage fire."_

Remy suddenly began to grip the chair tightly. Jubilee noted his anxiety and gave him a thumbs-up to tell him she had it all under control. However, at the moment he did not believe her.

"_Oblivion Alpha-Four, this is Oblivion Main. I repeat, if you do not respond or turn away now, we will engage fire."_

Suddenly, Jubilee began to ascend the jet.

"_Oblivion Alpha-Four, this is Oblivion Main. Last warning, if you do not answer or turn away, we will take you down."_

Jubilee sighed exasperatedly and responded to the threat. "Oblivion Main, this is Oblivion Alpha-Four. Do _not_ engage. I repeat, do _not_ engage."

Remy rolled his eyes when her voice came alive in his headset. She sounded twelve. He made an angry gesture at her as though asking why the hell she thought responding would be a good idea. She shrugged again, seemingly unaffected by the heavy threats.

Oblivion Main did not answer for several long seconds.

"_Who the hell is this? Who is flying your aircraft, Oblivion Alpha-Four?"_

"…. Vince," Jubilee replied awkwardly. It was the only name she could remember. Remy looked like he was going to choke her.

"_Negative, Oblivion Alpha-Four. Vince Harper is currently at a briefing elsewhere. I repeat, who is piloting your aircraft?"_

"Um," Jubilee hesitated a little irritated, as though unsure of a multiple choice question on an exam. "Transmission is unclear. Oblivion Alpha-Four out."

"_Fucking X-Man-!"_

She shut the radio off promptly, cutting Oblivion Main off. "There," she smiled sweetly at Remy. "Now we can land in peace."

"What de _hell_ is wrong with you?" he demanded. "You gonna get Remy killed! Dey gonna fire at us! And now dey know you're here!"

"Yeah, I didn't mean to let that happen," she responded too calmly. She began searching the controls, tongue in cheek.

"Uh," Remy began to sweat as a streak of light passed them. "Jub'lee, Remy t'inks dey see us now."

"Yeah, yeah," Jubilee shrugged slightly annoyed, as she continued groping around the controls for something. "Where is it?" she muttered to herself quietly.

Another streak passed them. Remy's stomach lurched as the third streak nicked the side of the jet. The craft rumbled violently. "_Petite_-"

"Where the _hell_ is the damn cloaking device on this thing?" Jubilee asked as she continued to grasp around the controls for a familiar feeling knob.

Remy stared at her in shock. "You – you _kidding_, righ', _Petite_?" he half laughed, hands still white from gripping the armrests of his seat.

"_Seriously!"_ Jubilee grunted in frustration. "Where is it? Does your weird world keep it somewhere ridiculous? Like under the seat?"

She proceeded to reach under her seat as Remy stared at her, not quite believing what she was trying to suggest.

"_P'tite_," he grabbed her arm, desperately hoping she was joking. "Dere ain't no such t'ing as a cloaking device!"

"Don't be _stupid_, Rem, it's _standard_ on personal je-"

"_Petite! _A cloaking device is somet'ing you find in Star Trek!"

Jubilee's eyes went wide and the plane shifted violently to the left. She made a grab at the controls, which had evaded her in a state of temporary shock. "You're _kidding_ me!" she screamed accusingly, above the whirrs of the engine. _Now_ she was panicking. More streaks of light were streaming past the plane. "You people have no cloaking devices? How are ya supposed to sneak around?"

"_Petite!_" Remy yelled, clenching his seat and shutting his eyes madly in fear. "In dis world, dere are no _cloaking devices_, people don't _disappear into t'in air_, Remy Lebeau _ain't_ _got no powers_, an' _FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLDS DO NOT – __**DO NOT – **__FLY JETS!" _

"Oh my _God_," he heard Jubilee wail dramatically as the plane shuddered once more from another hit. "I've died and gone to hell!"

He pried one eye open and exclaimed, "We ain't dead _yet_, so fly de damn plane!"

He regretted his order instantly, as Jubilee took it to heart. And before he knew it, he was upside down in his seat screaming louder than he'd ever had to in his life. He could barely make out Jubilee telling him to shut up. The plane lurched downward suddenly and Remy felt sick. "Up! Up!" he cried desperately at her.

"We _can't_," her voice crackled in his headset. "We need to gain speed first or we'll stall and crash!"

"_Crash?_" Remy cried out. He saw another streak pass, just barely missing the nose of their plane.

"Oh, don't be a _baby!_" Jubilee complained. "I won't crash us, I promise!" Remy felt relieved at the strange air of confidence in her voice, until she added "-not hard anyway!"

Before he knew it, Jubilee had pulled back on the controls and they were slowly going up.

"If we live, _Petite_," he promised her through the cackle of the headset, "Remy is gonna _kill_ you!"

Before she could send her well thought out and sarcastic retort, they hit the ground violently in a heave of smoke and fire.

And the last thing Remy saw before he blacked out was the bright flash of Jubilee's powers blinding him.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note: I think there was a glitch when I last updated this story in June. So make sure you've actually read Chapter 6 before you read this one. Also, I want to thank those of you who have left the reviews. I've already had the ending for this story written for months, and I can't wait to get there!

Disclaimer: As usual, nothing belongs to me. Except Diane Ling. I take full credit and honors in creating this delightfully sarcastic character.

**Scott Summers' Car on the way to Rochester, NY  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 1:12 pm**

"_A consultation?"_ Jean Summers asked skeptically and disappointedly over the earpiece of his phone.

"Yeah," her husband Scott sighed as he adjusted the cell phone that sat on his shoulder. "I'm doing it mainly as a favor for Jones. He was supposed to conduct a follow-up interview with a representative from Oblivion Fuel, but he had a family emergency. And this interview is sort of crucial to what's been an ongoing investigation with the company. It was either this or reschedule, and believe me, you never want to push back this sort of interview."

"_So when will you be home?"_

"A little later than I thought, depending on how long the interview goes. I may be late for dinner. I don't expect to be, but you know how I like to be thorough."

"_I understand," _Jean replied. Scott smiled. Meticulousness was a trait they both shared, whether at the PD, the hospital, or even their own house. _"I have third shift tonight at work. I'm covering for Doctor Cranston. Shall I put the neighbor on standby to watch Nathan in case you don't make it by then?"_

"Like I said, I should be home by dinner, but it wouldn't hurt."

"_All right," _Jean said and Scott could almost picture her smiling. _"I'll see you later. Love you."_

"Love you," he said before he hung his phone up.

He turned the radio up and sighed once more. He'd been on the road since breakfast.

Driving up north to Rochester was not what Scott had planned for today. He had his own cases to work. But this particular case concerning mysterious deaths at Oblivion Fuel was closing, and the department wanted it out of the way as soon as possible. Since Jones couldn't make it, _someone_ had to. And admittedly, no one else was more right for the job than Detective Scott Summers.

**Crash site, several miles east of Rochester, NY  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 1:15 pm**

When Remy finally came to, he realized with a jolt that the jet was crunched on its left side. He thought for a moment that it couldn't be right; it meant one of the wings had to be missing. He wondered for a moment if he had died, but that didn't seem logical either; dead people didn't bleed, right? He felt around wondering why his brain wasn't sprawled against the left side of the plane and found that remarkably, his body was still suspended by his seatbelt. He coughed violently. His whole body ached, but as far as he could tell nothing was broken. How the hell had he survived that crash?

The cockpit was smoking. He could hear tiny grunts and rustling to his left. Behind him, he could hear the _woosh_ of wind from an open gash on the other side of the jet. He couldn't see beyond the dashboard, but saw a glow of orange flickering menacingly on the other side. They had to get out of this jet fast before the fire spread. More alert now, a thought came to him: _Jubilee_. Where was Jubilee?

"_Petite_!" he called anxiously, coughing.

The rustling stopped automatically at the sound of his voice.

"Remy?" he heard her call out. He let out a breath when he heard her. "I'm stuck!"

"One moment, _Petite_," he said as he unbuckled himself clumsily, still feeling residual effects from the dizzying crash. He allowed gravity to guide him down to Jubilee's side of the cockpit. As he came closer, he found her wide-eyed and trembling, but otherwise okay. She was still harnessed securely into her seat. Her head was bleeding slightly; he noted that the hardened scab from her previous injuries had torn open in the crash. She looked pale and dirty. Her pleading eyes bore into his with relief.

"I can't get the belt off," she breathed. True to her claim, she really was stuck. He traced the belt strap to locate the buckle with his hand, finding it was pinned by bent metal that had torn off the dashboard.

"All righ'," Remy said. "Don' worry, Ol' Remy will get you outta here."

He yanked a pocket knife out of the holster on his side. Carefully, he began to cut away Jubilee's belt.

"How'd we survive that?" he asked seriously as he labored at the straps.

"I think I did something," Jubilee said as she coughed from the smoke. "When we crashed, my plasma… it absorbed the impact of the crash."

"Are you sure?" Remy asked incredulously. He recalled vaguely that before he blacked out a flash of Jubilee's powers had blinded him. "You can do dat?"

Jubilee shrugged, or at least tried to. "I guess. I don't know. I mean I did, didn't I? I told you my powers are doing weird shit today. My plasma usually _destroys_ stuff, not _protects_ stuff. Believe me, I'm just as surprised!"

He freed her right shoulder successfully. She was looking a little paler now. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly when she seemed to nod off momentarily.

"Just a little light-headed," she replied, blinking rapidly and coughing again. "Need to get outta the smoke."

"Almost done," he mumbled as he cut away the last piece of belt strap restraining her.

With a grunt, he heaved her up and draped her arm over his shoulder. With his other arm, he grabbed their backpacks which had been sprawled haphazardly behind their seats. He half carried her towards the opening in the side of the jet. With great effort from the both of them, they escaped the wreckage. He noted as they slowly made their way from the jet that they had landed, or crashed, into a heavily wooded area. He dragged her two hundred meters away before he allowed them to plop down, both breathing heavily and staring at their burning vehicle.

"Are you okay, Rem?" she asked him, gulping. Their escape from death did nothing more than to enhance her awareness of mortality.

"_Oui. _How about you?" he asked her, still panting. He eyed her; she was still pale. "You good, _Petite_?"

"Um," Jubilee mumbled as she examined herself, discovering mostly cuts and bruises. She wiped away at the bleeding scab on her head. "I think so…?"

"Good," Remy nodded, out of breath. He turned to face her, glaring accusingly. "Because Remy is going to kill you!"

She shot him an offended look. "For the _most_ part," she argued, "I thought it went well. I mean, _admittedly_ if we hadn't been shot at it woulda turned out _completely_-"

"Never!" he gasped, face turning bright red. "Never! _Petite!_ Ever! Again!"

She shrugged tiredly and gave a weak smile. "_Next_ time I _promise_-"

"_Never!"_

Jubilee nodded feverishly. "Got it. Remy plus Jubes piloting equals a no-go. Got it, I swear."

She saluted him mockingly with two fingers and he knew instantly that she was lying.

He groaned and turned away from her, observing the mess of a plane that hit the ground. "We gotta get outta here," he stated unnecessarily. "Dey be lookin' for us now, after you made such a commotion."

"_Me_?" Jubilee asked incredulously. "_You _were the one who didn't tell me from the get-go that there was no cloaking device!" One look from Remy and she said, "Okay, shutting up now."

Remy glared at her pointedly before asking, "You okay to walk?" He noted a little anxiously that she was still a little pale.

"Yeah," she replied with confidence. "I feel better now."

"Great, let's go." He held out a hand to help her up, then handed her a backpack.

She followed his lead as they made their away from the smoky crash site.

"Any idea where we are?" Jubilee asked him as she observed their surroundings.

"Nope," he sighed. "Your cell phone working?"

She dug into her pocket and pulled out the phone Diane had previously given her. "No signal," she pouted dejectedly. "What about yours?"

Jubilee's eyes bulged when Remy held up what resembled something that _used_ to be a cell phone. Its front cover was hanging dramatically off the side, connected only by a single measly wire. It was clearly damaged beyond repair from the crash.

Wisely, Jubilee decided not to comment, knowing the conversation would turn to her piloting skills.

Remy appreciated the silence as she trekked after him for several long minutes. He'd been taking much larger steps than she could, and he noted guiltily that she seemed to be having trouble keeping up. She was still white in the face, and she wasn't talking. That certainly wasn't like her. He wondered briefly if her energy was somehow drained when she saved them from the plane crash. He slowed down gradually enough so that she would not notice that their pace as changing for her sake.

He momentarily reached into his bag and pulled out a candy bar. He tossed it to her. She smiled gratefully without a word and they continued on. When she was fed, though still quieter than usual, she seemed a bit more alert. A small wave of relief and worry subsided inside of Remy.

He now had other things to worry about. The crash would no doubt attract any potential enemies nearby. Oblivion Fuel had to realize that they intended to infiltrate their Headquarters. People don't steal company planes and fly headfirst into the mouth of a dragon. Well, people who weren't Remy and Jubilee anyway. He felt subconsciously for the handguns on each side of his holster, wishing he had an automatic instead. He knew by the way Jubilee was warily eyeing the trees around her that she was already expecting a fight.

"I hear water," Remy remarked suddenly, after one kilometer. "And birds."

"We must be nearer to Lake Ontario than I thought," Jubilee replied thoughtfully. "I remember catching a glimpse of it before they started firing at us. If we get to the water, we can figure out from there which way is Rochester and how far we can go."

Remy suddenly put a hand up in the air, halting her in her tracks. He reached for the gun on his left side.

Jubilee crouched low, following his lead. She seemed to hear it as well – the unmistakable sound of people voyaging through the woods. No animal ever sounded so disrupted in the woods. Steady footsteps shuffled nearby.

"This seems to happen to us an awful lot," Jubilee whispered quietly. "People stumbling onto us, I mean."

"Shut up," he whispered back. "And check your nine o'clock."

Remy felt on edge. He looked back at Jubilee, who seemed like a tiger ready to strike. He nudged her as he pulled his shades down to cover his eyes. She nodded and pulled hers down as well, knowing he intended to use her as a human flash bang again.

The intruders weren't far now. However, unable to determine whether the approaching party was the enemy, he wasn't about to deploy his weapon or Jubilee in the presence of innocent bystanders.

And then he heard it. The unmistakable _click_ of an automatic rifle. Jubilee had heard it as well. Innocent bystanders do _not_ carry loaded and ready automatic weapons.

He listened intently to the approaching visitors, watching out of the corner of his eye that Jubilee was snaking stealthily up a tree. He, himself crouched behind thick brush behind the clearing where the intruders were approaching. Remy made eye contact with Jubilee and put a hand up to still her in her perch.

Four men in hunting gear and camouflage crept into the clearing, one by one. Cursing inwardly, Remy noted that they were each carrying M16s, weapons a little too heavy for the northern average New York hunter.

To Remy's dismay, Jubilee had slipped a little. One of the men turned and pointed his gun to where Jubilee was perched. Alarmed, he purposefully snapped a twig to draw attention away from her. The men turned and pointed their rifles in his direction.

Apparently, Jubilee did not appreciate the gesture. Before they could fire into the bushes where Remy was hiding, she let her pyrotechnics loose and effectively dazed the squad of intruders. The group of men began to fire blindly and deafly in all directions. Remy surged forward and shot one man down in the chest. The other three were still firing. A few bullets whizzed by his head. "Agh!" he heard Jubilee cry out. He risked a glance at his companion and realized she'd been grazed by a bullet on her shoulder.

He watched as she yelped once more and threw her other arm up instinctively, erupting plasma in the direction of the primary shooter. The ball of plasma burned brighter and hotter than she'd expected. Losing control momentarily, she threw it back towards the shooter.

Taking advantage of their confusion, Remy swiftly gunned down the other two men. He bent down to each man to make sure they were dead – or close to it.

"_No_," he heard Jubilee whisper behind him. Instinctively he thought she'd somehow been hit by one of the rifles, but when he turned to look at her she seemed physically sound except for the grazed shoulder. For a moment he couldn't comprehend what had made her so upset. And then he saw it – the man who'd taken the brunt of her most recent blast. He cursed when he realized what had happened. Remy knew in that instant that Jubilee had accidentally taken the man's life.

She had told him once in confidence that she had never killed a man. She had wanted to at one point, but when the opportunity presented itself she had refused to commit the deed. She had seen death at its worst, lived a life of unbelievable sorrow and violence. And through it all, she had never yielded to the darkness of murder. She had always followed her mentor, the Wolverine, as he finished off her opponents only when necessary. But Jubilee herself had never delivered a final blow – until now.

She staggered to her knees before her victim's unrecognizable charred body.

"Oh, _God_," Jubilee breathed. She covered her mouth sickly.

Remy approached her cautiously and placed a comforting hand on her back, realizing that the weight of what she had just done – whether by accident or not – was going to affect her in the long run.

"He's dead…" she whispered.

"_P'tite_," Remy soothed as he pulled her away from the remains. The smell of burnt flesh stung his nose. "Ain't nothin' you could help. He was aimin' to kill us."

"I know, but I figured – I figured I'd just throw 'em off guard an' _you'd_ pop 'em with a bullet or _something_!" she began to tremble, wide-eyed at what she had done. "_I _didn't wanna kill nobody! Not like _this_!"

Remy wasn't quite sure why she seemed to be trying to ask _him_, of all people, for forgiveness, especially after he himself had killed the other three men in the clearing.

She continued, "My powers are actin' up lately, an' I don't know why! But I didn't mean to do this, I-"

"Shh, Remy knows," he shushed her gently, cupping her cheeks to face him – away from the body. "You didn't mean it."

"Wolvie always said that killin' ain't how it looked," she continued almost incomprehensibly as she blinked back tears. Her eyes bore into his, pleadingly. "He always said killin' was a lesson he never wanted me to learn, an' I never wanted to either-"

"He was right, _Petite_," Remy interrupted as he pulled her up and sat her down in the grass nearby. He couldn't sugarcoat what it was to kill a man. He could only be honest and hope she eventually she would come to terms with this. "Killin' ain't a lesson anyone, especially _you_, should learn. But no matter how far you run from dem, some lessons are unavoidable." Once she was safely out of the way, he stripped an automatic M16 rifle off of one of the men. These Oblivion Fuel folks weren't kidding around in their search for Jubilee; you shouldn't need an M16 to take down a fifteen-year-old, mutant or not. Jubilee had to come out of this shock or she would surely end up dead.

"Wolvie always killed 'em if there was no other choice! But I never…" she continued to babble dazedly from where she sat. "I didn't mean to, I never wanted to – I – I'm _sorry_!"

He cringed at her last statement. Her voice had risen frantically, and he was afraid she would attract more enemies.

"_P'tite_," he said seriously as he approached her. "You listen to Remy-"

"B-but-" she stuttered.

"_Listen_!" he said a little more harshly than he'd intended. She looked back up at him, bright blue eyes still brimming with unshed tears. "Just listen t'Remy, _please_. Yes, you killed him. But look at what's at stake, here. It's a good t'ing dat you sorry, it really is. If dere was anyone to ever be forgiven to taking a life, it's _you_. But dese guys ain't gonna go easy on us. Dey gonna kill us if we give 'em de chance. Not just us – a _lot_ of innocent people will keep dying if we don't put a stop to dis traffic ring. You hear?"

She nodded.

"If Remy can help it," he promised her, "Remy won't let you kill anyone else, okay?"

She nodded again and gulped.

"_But_," he continued, "if dey gonna go after us again wit' intent to kill, Remy needs to count on you to do what you gotta do. Whether is means killin' or not. I know it's a lot, and Remy should _never _have to ask such a task from de _Petite. _But we need to survive. Can you do dat, _Petite_?"

She took a deep breath and blinked, unshed tears falling at last. "Yes," she managed in the strongest voice she could muster.

"C'mon," Remy said gently. "I need ammo for dis rifle. Rummage through de other bodies an' see if you can find some. We gotta get outta here as soon as we can."

She nodded and complied silently. He knew in that instant she felt ashamed for losing control. She shouldn't be feeling that way, but they didn't have time to launch a counseling session. His heart sank at the fact that another bit what little innocence Jubilee had left was now gone – it had died along with the man she accidentally killed.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 2:02 pm**

"Sir, this is _Detective_ Summers," one of the men introduced him as someone entered the conference room. Scott frowned, unsure why an emphasis was put on the 'Detective' part.

Ever since he had arrived at Oblivion Fuel's factory, he had been treated with utter rudeness. At first glance, everyone seemed to recognize him. He was quite sure he had never met any of these people in his life. It reminded him of a certain blue-eyed Asian who treated him the same way. Except _she_ reacted in a positive way. _These men_ seemed to wish him dead on sight. He felt he had every right to be on guard. The weight of his concealed weapon did little to ease his mind.

"Good afternoon, Detective Summers," said the curt, balding man who entered.

"And you are-?" Scott began as he stood up and offered his hand politely.

"You may address me as Mr. Johnson," the man replied almost disdainfully. He didn't take Scott's offered hand. "I do hope you'll forgive Doctor Sanders. He's a little tied up at the moment and cannot greet you himself. But as I understand it, I wasn't to meet _you_, Detective Summers."

"I'm here on behalf of Detective Jones," Scott replied, feeling suspicious of the man who stood before him. He didn't like the way Mr. Johnson or the employees were eyeing him. "He's had a family emergency, and we both know that this type of appointment cannot be rescheduled."

Mr. Johnson looked at Scott as though he were something very dirty.

"Shall we continue on inside the factory?" Scott offered when the man didn't say anything.

"I'm afraid that can't be done," Mr. Johnson argued gently. "Not with _you_."

"I'm sorry?" Scott was genuinely confused.

"Please, follow me," Mr. Johnson said as he led him outside the conference room and down the hall.

"We have a scheduled meeting, Mr. Johnson," Scott argued.

"Oh, it will take place, I assure you. But first, you must come this way."

They exited the end of the hallway out into an opening where a car sat waiting for them. Holding the door open was a large muscular man.

"Please, get in," Mr. Johnson gestured.

From the looks of it, Scott Summers did not have a choice. He straightened his suit uncomfortably before climbing in. Mr. Johnson followed him.

"How _convenient_, isn't it?" Mr. Johnson said once the car was moving. "That Detective Jones couldn't make today's meeting. That _you_ of all people would have to come in his place. That makes for a nice cover story, wouldn't you agree?"

"What are you talking abou-?" Scott narrowed his eyes at the other passenger beside Mr. Johnson. Instinctively, he began to size the men up. In a fight, it would be Scott versus three men. He didn't like the odds at all.

"Let me get straight to the point, _Detective_," Mr. Johnson continued as though Scott hadn't said anything. "You were in contact with a young lady not too long ago, am I correct? A young _Jubilation Lee_?"

"How did you-?" Scott stuttered. He was suddenly feeling slightly afraid. How could they possibly have know that? "How does _she_ have anything to do this investigation?"

"I'm sure you're quite aware, _Detective_, that she has almost _everything _to do with Oblivion Fuel at the moment."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, Mr.-"

"Don't _lie_ to me," Mr. Johnson interrupted rudely. "Where is she? What has she told you?"

Scott scoffed. What the hell was going on here? "I don't know where she is, and I don't know what you're talking about."

"Need I repeat myself, Detective?" Mr. Johnson replied. When Scott could only stare back angrily, he continued, "Very well then. I shall repeat: Don't _lie_ to me. We are aware that you've had contact with the little brat. When she went missing, you launched a full investigation just to find her. Stop me if I'm wrong, Detective Summers."

Scott remained silent, feeling worried for Jubilee and hoping she was somewhere far away.

"Your investigation went on for weeks," Mr. Johnson continued. "And then, all of a sudden, you _stopped_ searching for the girl. What I'm interested in knowing is _why_ you stopped."

Scott tightened his jaw, but did not respond. His mind fluttered back momentarily to the note with a scribbled drawing of DNA that Jubilee had left for him in his mailbox.

"You've had contact with her, haven't you?" Mr. Johnson asked, leaning forward interestedly.

Scott's stunned silence was all Mr. Johnson needed as confirmation. "I thought so," Mr. Johnson smiled menacingly.

"What exactly do you want with her?" Scott managed to ask. "She's just a kid-"

"I'm afraid she is _not_, as you put it, _just a kid_," Mr. Johnson interrupted once again. "But you know that already, don't you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Someone interrupted from the front of the car. "We're here," a man said from the driver's seat. The car slowed to a halt. Scott was beginning to sweat. Something was _very_ wrong here.

"Thank you, _Vince_," Mr. Johnson said almost too politely. Speaking to Scott, he ordered harshly, "Get out of the car."

**Lost in the Woods  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 2:17 pm**

Jubilee's pocket vibrated, startling her slightly.

When she jumped, Remy had spun to face her worriedly. "What's wrong, _Petite_?"

"I think we got reception," she said, pulling the small cell phone out of her pocket. "Phone's ringin'." Diane's number lit up on the caller ID.

She answered immediately, ducking out of Remy's reach as he went for the phone. "Where you at?" Jubilee demanded as a greeting into the phone.

"_Glad to hear you're alive, Lee_," came Diane Ling's amused voice. "_Please tell me it wasn't LeBeau's brilliant idea to hijack a plane, speak openly on their radio frequency, and then crash ungracefully to the ground in a burning heap._"

"Nope," Jubilee beamed slightly, shushing Remy who wished to speak to Diane. "That was _my_ idea. And it got us here, didn't it?"

"_Touché,_" Diane agreed reluctantly. "_I can see the wreckage from miles away. Where are you guys?_"

"We're at the edge of Lake Ontario, but we're not quite sure if we're east or west of Rochester."

"_Why didn't you try the GPS on the cell phone?_"

"Oh sure," Jubilee muttered as she rolled her eyes. She thrust the phone towards Remy, clearly indicating that she no longer wished to speak to Diane. "This phone has a GPS built into it, but the damn _plane_ doesn't have a _cloaking device_."

"Shut it," Remy said as he snatched the phone from her. In truth, he was inwardly relieved that a little of her spunk was showing after the incident not long ago. He brought the phone to his ear. "Ling?"

"_Such a little charmer,"_ Diane remarked. _"She must take after you."_

"Not de time for jokes," Remy said seriously. "After we crashed, we ran into a little trouble-," he turned away when Jubilee's face whitened at the mention of it, "-and we're just now hitting the Lake."

"_A little trouble?" _Diane asked. _"Usually, trouble doesn't affect _you_ so badly. I take it something happened with the kid?"_

"Remy'll explain later," he said, making sure Jubilee didn't hear. "You said dere's a GPS on dis phone?"

"_You're so last century, LeBeau. I'm about a couple klicks away from the outer gate of their HQ. Get here as soon as you can. I'll text you the coordinates."_

"Not a problem," Remy said. He added before she could hang up on him, "One more thing: Remy's glad to hear your voice, _ma Chere_." He heard her chuckle before she hung up. He didn't notice Jubilee rolling her eyes at the goofy grin on his face.

"I'm gonna check out what's this way," Jubilee declared, gesturing towards her left as Remy began to sift through the phone's contents.

"Fine, but don't go more d'an a hundred meters out. We gotta stay together."

"Gotcha," she said as she crept away.

The phone vibrated again as he received Diane's coordinates. He ran the GPS application and plugged in her location. He was relieved to find that they were only a couple miles away from her. It shouldn't take more than an hour to regroup. The sooner he had her within reach, the better he'd feel about her safety. He frowned to himself as he realized that Diane _and_ Jubilee were turning him into a softie. He felt the sudden need for a cold beer.

"_Psst!_" he heard Jubilee hiss at him from fifty meters away. He looked up, and saw her motioning for him to come to her. He stuffed the phone safely into a pocket of his jacket and picked up his newly acquired M16 Rifle. Checking to make sure it was loaded and ready, he crept his way to where Jubilee crouched behind a bush. She gestured beyond the bush.

They could hear voices nearby. Angry voices. Clearly an argument was breaking out nearby. It didn't look like Remy and Jubilee would be able to make it to Diane without another fire fight.

"I _told_ you this happens to us a lot," Jubilee whispered.

He shushed her and gestured for her to move carefully towards the voices. She complied.

"_Let's just kill him already,"_ came their nemesis Vince's recognizable voice. Jubilee's body tensed at the sound. Remy placed a hand on her shoulder protectively even though they were still out of sight. There was no way he was going to let Vince hurt Jubilee, especially after he learned how mutant-hating he seemed to be. But how in the hell was Vince in New York? Remy reasoned to himself that he might've found transportation in Jubilee's world.

"_Patience, Vince_," another voice said. "_Detective Summers, You tell me where that girl is, or I will kill your beloved wife and son," _a short man with a mustache demanded. He looked quite familiar to Jubilee, but she wasn't sure why so.

And suddenly Scott Summers's voice broke out. _"Don't you touch my family!"_

"What's _he_ doing here?" Jubilee whispered confusedly to Remy, eyes flaring in panic at the sight of the pistols pointed toward Strange Scott.

"Dunno, _Petite_," Remy replied quietly as he observed over her shoulder. "But Remy don't t'ink he's on good terms wit' Oblivion Fuel."

Jubilee agreed, for Strange Scott Summers seemed quite livid. He was red in the face and sweating. His hand was hovering near where she knew he must be hiding a weapon. Unfortunately, several handguns were pointed at him. He would be unable to draw his weapon fast enough without getting shot.

"_She's here in New York, isn't she?" _the bald, mustached man demanded. _"You've been cooperating with her to break into Oblivion Fuel!"_

"_I told you_," Scott spat angrily,_ "I don't know where Jubilee is, and if I did, you'd have to kill me first to get your hands on her!"_

"_That can be arranged!" _the man exclaimed, lifting his own Deagle towards Scott's face. _"And you can be sure your carcass will be presented accordingly to your wife and son before I burn them alive!"_

"NO!" Jubilee screamed and leapt out from her hiding place before Remy could stop her. Not having enough time to roll his eyes, he came charging out after her.

An eruption of hot plasma shot out of her hands towards Mr. Johnson, who was knocked down by the blast. Remy noted that she had regained control of her powers once again. He took the opportunity to fire into one of the skulls of Mr. Johnson's associates.

**A Clearing in the Woods  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 2:44 pm**

Scott Summers was knocked back by a strangely colorful explosion. Feeling a little disoriented, he looked up, alarmed. Blinking rapidly, he realized there was a young girl unleashing an onslaught of surreal and explosive attacks on Mr. Johnson and his goons. Behind her, he noted that the girl's accomplice was a man who was firing an automatic into Mr. Johnson's chest. It seemed as though a scene out of a sci-fi movie. It occurred to him in the chaos that he actually _knew_ this girl.

"Jubilee?" Scott called out awkwardly, not quite sure if he believed his eyes… or what she was doing. It was physically impossible, wasn't it? There were _fireworks_ flying out of her hands. It took all of a half second for him to remember their awkward conversation when he'd first met her in the hospital. _Deoxyribonucleic acidic mutation. DNA mutation. Mutants._ Suddenly it made sense to him why there was no record of Jubilation Lee; she wasn't _supposed_ to exist. At that moment, it no longer mattered how illogical this all felt to him, because all of a sudden it was true. It clicked in that instant inside of him, and he somehow found he didn't need to question why or how. Mutants exist, as Jubilee had previously claimed. Real ones. And she was one of them.

"You little mutie _bitch_!" the driver Vince roared at Jubilee. She was knocked back momentarily when he lunged at her, barely missing her midsection with a blade and screaming profanities. She fought him off with a kick to the jaw. When he stumbled back, she turned and blue eyes glared icily at Scott.

"Get _up_, Scott!" Jubilee yelled at him, strangely authoritatively, as she hurled a plasma ball at another oncoming attack by Vince.

As if waken from a reverie, Scott sprung into action. Without hesitating, he whipped the hidden pistol out of his holster and fired into Vince's chest before he could strike Jubilee again. Vince seemed to freeze where he stood, still mid-attack, choking on his own blood as he grasped his chest. He was dead before he touched the ground.

Jubilee seemed to stare unbelievingly Vince's body as Scott rushed forward to aid Jubilee's friend. In less than ten seconds, it was over. Three bodies piled at their feet, they stood together, recollecting themselves.

"Are you okay?" Jubilee asked Scott.

Scott turned and eyed her, still panting, as though finally seeing her as what she really was.

"Don't look at me like that," Jubilee frowned, under the scrutiny of Scott's stare.

He blinked. "Sorry," he muttered as he rubbed his neck. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Jubilee crossed her arms and rubbed her elbows as though verifying her own statement. "I asked you first."

"I'm all right," he said, scratching his head. Nothing made sense except that Jubilee and her friend were the good guys. "What… just what are you doing here? What the hell is going on? Why are they looking for you? How do they know we've met-"

"It's a long story, _homme_," Jubilee's friend interrupted his barrage of questions. The man, who spoke with a thick accent, turned to Jubilee before examining the bodies on the ground. He nudged the big one over with his foot. "Vince is dead?"

Jubilee nodded affirmatively, seemingly relieved.

"Good." The man bent down and began stripping the men of any weapons and ammo.

Scott observed the man, Jubilee's friend, before him. "You're Remy," Scott said. It wasn't a statement. This was the man Jubilee had been searching for after she disappeared from the hospital.

Remy nodded as he bent down to pull a few pistols off of the bodies on the ground. He tossed one to Scott, who caught it almost clumsily.

Scott, still dazed, looked from Jubilee to Remy. He demanded, "Just what in the _hell_ is going on here?"

"We'll explain," Remy smiled, feeling a little sorry for Scott. After all, Remy had firsthand knowledge of what it was like to have his world turned upside down by the one and only Jubilation Lee. "But firs' we gotta clear outta here 'fore more of dem show up. Diane's waitin' a couple miles west of here."

"Who's Diane?" Scott asked.

**Just outside the boundaries of Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 4:07 pm**

"You certainly know how to attract attention," Diane said, eyeing Remy and Jubilee accusatively. "I heard your fight from all the way over here. If they weren't alerted to your presence before, well _now_ they're sure to have a welcome party with a big cake just for you two."

They had met up not ten minutes ago. Introductions were made briefly, and Detective Scott Summers, despite his inquisitive nature, was still a little clueless. Nevertheless, the only thing that mattered to him at this point was putting a stop to the human trafficking ring and returning Jubilee back to – wherever the hell it was she came from.

"Don't lie, Ms. Ling," Remy winked at the Asian beauty who leaned against the tree, with a backpack at her feet. "You've had your fair share of action today, haven't you?"

She smiled seductively in his direction. "Naturally."

"They do that a lot?" Scott whispered to Jubilee.

"Sickening, isn't it?" she replied with a roll of the eyes. She cleared her throat loudly. "_Ahem_.If you two are done flirting?" Her arms were crossed in slight disgust at their playful banter and partly in an effort to disguise her relief that Diane had been found safe. "We've got a job to do."

"She don't got an off button," Remy remarked as he gestured at Jubilee. "Believe me, I've looked."

Jubilee frowned and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Well, despite how loud she is, the kid is right," Diane said as she rummaged through her backpack. "I've got the blueprints of the supposed factory right here." She pulled out a long rolled up and folded blueprint paper and spread it out on the ground for them to see.

"What _don't_ you have, _ma Chere_?" Remy asked.

Jubilee rolled her eyes as she peered over their shoulders at the layout of the building they were going to infiltrate. She squinted as she read the words labeling each room. A major portion of the factory seemed to be open space. There were two large rooms, one she assumed for vehicles, and the other… she wasn't sure. Towards the back were a series of smaller rooms, perhaps offices. She quickly became bored with the blueprints and stepped away so as not to be near Remy and Diane indiscreetly making googly eyes at each other as they discussed the layout.

Jubilee sighed and rubbed her arms. She shivered even though she was wearing a hoodie, which was torn from the grazed bullet. The temperature was dropping, she realized as she looked up. It was overcast. She wondered briefly if it was going to rain. She was startled when Scott's suit jacket fell suddenly onto her shoulders.

"You look cold," he said as he looked down at her with an odd smile.

She smiled appreciatively. "Thanks," she said as she rolled the sleeves up so that her hands could reach the openings. His brown eyes stared intently at her; she was still unnerved by the sight.

"You've been okay?" he asked seriously, his voice low.

"Yeah," Jubilee replied with a wry smile. She gestured to all around her. "I've run into a little trouble now and then, but you already know that."

He smiled despite the situation. "So you're… a _mutant_?" He strained to say the last word.

"All my life," Jubilee said proudly. "Well, _technically_, I didn't know I was a mutant til puberty-," she paused when Scott looked back at her dumbfoundedly, "-but that's another story."

"Listen," he said, "I'm still trying to piece together everything that's going on. But I _do_ know one thing – that I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Jubilee sighed uncomfortably. She looked down, suddenly finding great interest in a pebble. "Remy made me realize that ditching you without a warning was kinda heartless."

"Well," Scott said as he shifted his weight, feeling equally uneasy. "_Now_, I kinda see why you did what you had to. I'm just glad you're safe – well, I guess you're not exactly 'safe'. At least you're alive."

Jubilee laughed at his confusion, but then stopped herself. "Wait a minute, what have _you_ got to be sorry for?"

"For not believing you," he said with a sigh. "When you said you knew us. It can't be easy waking up, thinking you are in the presence of friends – _family_, even – and having them not know you. Jean would be sorry too if she were here."

Jubilee snorted at the awkwardness of it all. "I'd prefer it if _neither_ of you were here, to be honest." Scott looked a little hurt when she said that, so she continued, "But only because I hate the idea of you guys being dragged into _my_ mess. There are enough people whose lives are being turned upside down by me right now. No offense, but you're kinda making my list look a little long."

"I'm a detective with the NYPD," Scott explained, though he understood why she was afraid for his safety. Today he'd had a few too many guns pointed at him. "My job isn't exactly safe."

Jubilee laughed. "It ain't got nothin' on what you do in _my_ world."

Before he could ask her to clarify, they were interrupted.

"Okay," Remy cleared his throat when he had their attention. "Here's what we're gonna do: Me an' Jubilee are gonna go in first."

He pointed at the larger of the two big spaces on the blueprints. "Diane says dat dere are windows high up around this room, but not unreachable. Once we're inside, we'll have to do a little intelligence search. Gotta find out how to open de doorway to get de _Petite_ back home. Until we know how dey openin' up de portals, we gotta improvise. Remy doubt dat we'll find a way do do it when we get in, but if de chance comes up–," his voice tightened, "-I'm sending her back. She'll have a fighting chance on de other side if de X-Men are anywhere near."

Jubilee nodded silently, noting the change in his tone. A knot suddenly twisted in her stomach. She wasn't quite sure how she was going to say goodbye to Strange Remy when the time came.

"What do _we _do?" Scott asked, gesturing towards Diane and himself.

"Well," Diane said, brushing a strand of long dark hair out of her face, "As I've already dutifully pointed out, Oblivion Fuel is already on full alert to Remy and Jubilee's presence. Not surprising, due to the wreckage of their company plane and several dead employees. They're _expecting _you two to show up at the factory eventually."

"So, we're the distraction?" Scott offered grimly.

Diane nodded as Jubilee frowned. She didn't like the idea of putting Diane and Scott in the line of fire. However, Remy noticed this and shushed her before she could protest. She kicked the ground and crossed her arms, but did not say anything about it. Even though she didn't like it, this was Diane and Scott's decision – not hers.

Diane continued, "Although they've been trying to tail me for different reasons, Oblivion Fuel isn't even aware that I'm somehow connected to Remy and Jubilee. They don't know I'm here. It wouldn't hurt to catch them off guard."

"They definitely know _I'm_ here," Scott added. "Or at least _was_."

"Actually," Jubilee finally spoke up. "They think you're working with us, remember? Well, you weren't _before_, and they didn't know that. But you are _now_, and they _still_ don't know that-"

"So it's agreed," Remy sighed, interrupting Jubilee's rant.

"I'm in," Scott declared. There were still quite a few missing details, but at least he knew he was fighting for the right side.

"All right, then," Diane smiled. "Let's get this party on."

Twenty-five minutes later, after going over the blueprints and backup plans time and again, they were prepped and ready for their mission. The three adults were packed with firepower and ammo, while Jubilee was armed with Scott's black suit jacket and herself.

But before they disappeared into the shadows of the woods to part ways, Remy snuck one last kiss from Diane while Jubilee pretended to puke.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 5:06 pm**

Jubilee slipped stealthily into what looked like a gigantic garage lined with large silver fuel trucks with cylindrical cargo units. At first the sight seemed vaguely familiar to her, but she pushed the thought out of mind. Despite the nagging feeling in the pit of her memory, she couldn't get distracted – not now.

A majority of the workers had fled toward the staged distraction in the woods, conveniently located on the opposite side of the factory. Diane and Scott had made just enough noise to catch their attention, but not enough to make it obvious. Still, some workers had remained behind. Two were now dead, silenced by Remy's hand and shoved into bushes to conceal their bodies just outside the window where she slithered through.

She held her breath as she peered around the nearest truck. There were perhaps ten men in the garage, three with visible automatics, tinkering away near a broken-down truck.

Quietly, she caught Remy's canvass backpack as he dropped it to her. He slid down the window next to her without a word.

She motioned for him to peer around the closest truck. He did and she watched his reaction at the group of men. His eyes then darted up and down, surveying the area thoroughly. Jubilee's adrenaline was Spumping. She watched as a plan seemed to form in his head. He made eye contact with her and signaled for her to move forward. She followed his order without question. They needed to get past the mechanics and to the back offices – quickly.

She slinked along the wall behind two fuel trucks, peering beyond them to make sure the mechanics couldn't see her. She was creeping forward when the truck she was standing next to glistened in the light and caught her attention. Her eyes widened instantly, and she was frozen where she stood.

The sight of the silver cylinder with the Arial-fonted words "OBLIVION FUEL" emblazoned on its side stopped her in her tracks. Her heart raced. She cocked her head at the sight and she lost feeling in her hands. Eyes glazed, she barely noticed when Remy accidentally ran into her. Apparently he hadn't realized that she had stopped in front of him in the darkness of the enormous garage. The sight of the fuel truck had struck her numb. It was as though the truck had come from a dream she had once had, but lost.

"_Petite_, keep movin'!" he whispered urgently to her. When she remained frozen, he realized something was wrong. He followed the direction of her intense gaze towards the big silver truck. "What's wrong, _P'tite_?"

Her mouth parted in confusion as though she'd forgotten where she was, or even that she doing something incredibly important.

"I – I remember this!" she exclaimed loudly, ignoring Remy's question. She didn't quite seem all there mentally.

"Shut up!" Remy said as he covered her mouth. But he was too late. They'd been heard.

Cursing, he crushed her to the ground beneath him as weapons fired in their direction. She made an "_Oomph!"_ sound as bullets ricocheted off the trucks. Remy's grip on her brought her back to reality. She suddenly remembered where she was and what she was supposed to be doing.

She heard him cry out in momentary pain, then felt the weight of him lift off of her. She pulled herself up in time to catch him charging the shooters, spraying his M16 in a rage. The sound of gunfire filled the room, and Jubilee wasn't sure which sounds belonged to Remy or the mechanics. Several of the enemy dropped to the ground. She couldn't believe her eyes. Remy was delivering a series of acrobatics as he fired, ducking and swinging punches as he continued to charge. Jubilee could've sworn that he must have had _some_ type of mutant powers to pull off the moves he was doing. He simply couldn't be stopped.

But she was wrong.

She held her breath when she saw him stagger mid step for a moment, grabbing at his arm. "_NO!_" she screamed frantically when she saw him fall to his knees in pain.

This was her fault, she realized. She'd opened her big mouth and drawn attention to them. She'd dragged Remy into this mess, and now he was hit. Guilt and anger began to surge through her. If she didn't do something now, she would lose closest friend she had in this world.

Jubilee wasn't sure where it came from, but a burst of energy flowed through her veins. She scrambled forward with a ferocious war cry and tapped into a branch of her powers she had never been able to access before. A bubble of hot plasma shot out of her hands and poured through the crowd in front of her – including Remy.

She kept her plasma burning until it climaxed into an eruption of hot noise. The _sizzling_ and _popping_ was near deafening, and the brightness of seizure-inducing colors was blinding. Despite all of it, she refused to relent on her attack. The windows of the garage were shattering behind her. In the back of her mind, she knew that the fuel tanks should have exploded – but they didn't. She knew they wouldn't, but she wasn't quite sure _how_ she knew.

And all of a sudden, it stopped; It was almost as though she'd run out of gas. She stumbled forward as the energy left her. She was suddenly aware that she could no longer produce plasma at the moment; it made her feel naked and exposed. Gasping for air and sweating, she took a moment to observe her results.

In the aftermath of her explosion, there were screams and struggling all around her, but she had no idea how many there were. Somewhere in the distance a door opened, and she heard the _woosh_ of wind and voices rising. In the middle of the chaos, she was invisible to a small group of people entering the garage, she realized. She couldn't see through the smoke, but knew that they were there. Some alive – some maybe dead. She tried not to think about the possibility of taking another life that day; she wouldn't be able to remain calm if she did. Her main concern now was Remy.

Through all of this, somehow, she knew that Remy was okay. She'd been able to control it this time, perhaps driven by the determined security of her friend. She shoved past rubble towards where she last saw him, the debris in the air making her cough.

She found him still kneeling where she had last seen him. He was sweating, slightly reddened from the heat of her plasma, and his hair was dusty. But otherwise no new damage had been inflicted on him. The ground around him had a five foot radius of unburned flooring. She realized somehow that she had managed to keep him unharmed from her own blast.

"-the _hell_ did you do?" he was saying, unmoved from the spot as she approached him. He had realized during Jubilee's attack that none of the plasma was going to touch him. She put a hand to his face and pulled up an eyelid as though checking for his vitals.

"I don't know," Jubilee replied, deciding he was physically sound – well, mostly. His thigh had been grazed from a ricochet off the truck, and his shoulder had been struck by a bullet. She yanked Scott's suit jacket off and pressed it against his wound. She pulled him to his feet up by his good arm.

"I think more people are coming," she explained. "So we gotta get outta here and regroup, 'cause I don't think I can do it agai – _ah_!"

She was cut off when something knocked her off her feet. Thrown to the ground and still exhausted from her assault, she grunted as someone pinned her down so she was laying flat on her stomach. The left side of her face was being pressed harshly into the ground. Someone yanked her arms up painfully behind her. She tried to kick out behind her, but something hit her knee. She cried out painfully.

Somewhere nearby she knew Remy was struggling with his own attackers. She could hear him grunting and panting. She was relieved for a moment that he seemed to be faring better than she was at the moment.

Gasping for breath, she looked up. She was pinned by two husky men. "Oh sure," Jubilee spat angrily from where she was wedged. "It takes all of two dumb _goons_ to take down _one_ fifteen-year-old!"

"Don't listen to her," one of them sneered as he increased the pressure of her skull on the cement. She saw that he had a recent burn on the side of his face that was at least several weeks old and still healing; she knew the type of scarring well – it was _hers_. Realizing that _she_ had done that to him at some point, she struggled to remember when she'd done it. "She'll trick you into facin' her one-on-one."

"It's over, you little fuck," someone else with a raspy voice said. "You know you've been a pain in my ass for quite some time." She couldn't see this man. Her eyes widened when a pistol appeared before her face.

"She's just a kid!" she heard Remy yell. "Leave her alone-_umph!"_ Jubilee winced when he was silenced momentarily by physical force.

"Say your prayers," the raspy-voiced man whispered crudely in her ear.

She shut her eyes tightly when the cold nozzle of the pistol was pressed roughly against her temple. She tried to ignore Remy's screaming protests, but found strange comfort in the fact that he would be near as she died. Again he was physically silenced, unable to help her. She sucked in a deep breath, wondering briefly whether even in this world her parents would be on the other side waiting for her.

"Don't shoot her!" a commanding voice said suddenly.

The gun was suddenly removed from her temple. She let out the breath she was holding.

"What?" the raspy man demanded angrily. Her eyes were still shut as she listened to the conversation. "_You_ were the one who put the orders out to have her killed!"

"I believe I've changed my mind," the commanding voice said. The tone of his voice was strangely light. Jubilee realized that he sounded slightly elderly. She forced an eye open and tried to get a look at him, but couldn't move her neck while pinned. "I think I'll have better use for her alive," the man explained evenly.

She thought suddenly of Remy. He hadn't said a word since he was silenced the second time – she hoped he was just unconscious.

A pair of Doc Martins and the tip of a cane stepped into Jubilee's view from the ground. With what seemed great effort, he bent down and appeared in her field of vision. His wrinkly face smiled at her from behind a pair of thick spectacles. She wanted very badly to punch this man, even though he had stopped them from killing her.

"So," the old man with the cane said. He chuckled as he looked down at Jubilee as though she were something quite amusing. "_This_ is the little X-Man who's been wreaking havoc in not just one _one_, but _two_ worlds!"

"What's it to you, Bub?" she growled, feeling brave despite her current predicament.

"Oh-hoo!" he laughed like a bubbly old man. The sound of his delight only made Jubilee angrier. "I see this is what you get when you've been raised by the X-Men!"

He laughed again. Jubilee noted with disgust that he seemed to be the only one in the room who found himself hilarious.

"Get to the point, Doc!" the man with the raspy voice demanded impatiently. "The X-Men have been fucking with this operation for far too long! Let's scatter her bloodied brains on their front doorstep!"

Jubilee cringed at the imagery as several of the men murmured in agreement.

"Oh, goodness no!" the old man replied incredulously. "In case you haven't _noticed_, they've only become a real hindrance _after_ she fell through my little invention. They simply want her back."

Jubilee felt sudden warmth on the inside. So the X-Men _were_ searching for her!

"The only reason she ended up in this world," the raspy voice argued, "Is that she and the other muties were stickin' their noses in our business! What makes you think we'd even consider givin' this little asswipe back to those – those _freaks_?"

"Oh, no-no," the old man laughed. "You misunderstand me." He looked down and met Jubilee's eyes, the smile disappearing instantly from his face. The shadows beneath his eyes made him seem psychotic. "You see, I have absolutely no intention of giving her back," he concluded darkly.

"Fuck you!" Jubilee yelled at him, earning a good kick in the side from one of her captors. She groaned painfully as tears began to form. He was going to use her as blackmail.

"You see," the old man explained as though he were speaking to children, "she will provide us with a bit of _insurance_ to keep the X-Men off our property."

"And what about _this_ guy?" the raspy voice asked. Jubilee assumed he was talking about Remy. "I see no reason _not_ to kill _him_!"

Jubilee felt a wave of relief; Remy was alive!

"Oh, for right now I'd like to keep him for young Jubilation's sake," the old man said as he looked at Jubilee once more. "You see, to ensure that _this _little angel remains cooperative, we must make sure her dear _companion_ is still breathing, even if just barely."

"You don't touch him!" Jubilee screamed, somehow finding the strength to be brave.

He ignored her demand. "You look tired, child," he said to her. "I wonder: why is that you have not used your powers against us now? After all, you were quite able to create quite a big _boom_ not long ago."

He saw the truth when she didn't respond. Jubilee felt naked again. While she was a good fighter without her powers, she felt weakened by the explosion.

"You _can't_ right now, can you?" he exclaimed happily, smiling excitedly as though someone had just given him a wonderful gift. He continued to babble. "Unfortunately, the expansions of my research and discoveries have little to do with mutant-kind. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about you."

Jubilee felt sick; he was going to experiment on her.

"So tell me," he said conversationally to her, "where is your _friend_ Detective Summers? I know _he_ was the one who helped you get in here. And he was quite evasive during that distraction you conjured up."

Jubilee's heart lifted momentarily. She smiled inwardly as she realized that they hadn't caught Scott and Diane. These idiots still didn't realize Diane was even here.

"Not talking anymore, are we?" the old man asked her. He turned away from her and said to his minions, "Find him."

"And what about these two?" the raspy voice bellowed above her.

"They _killed_ our men!" roared one of her captors. "You expect us to do _nothing_ to them, Sanders?"

The old man Sanders looked into Jubilee's eyes and the smile left his face again as he said quite clearly, "I expect you to do what it takes to make sure she can't run."

He let the implication hang in the air as he rose and disappeared from Jubilee's view. All she heard were his staggering footsteps, supported by his cane, until he stopped in the distance.

"Please, gentlemen," his voice called from afar. "Make sure she's still _alive_ when you're through with her. After all, she is now our long-term guest."

A door closed, and she realized that he was gone.

Panic filled her as her captors rained down on her. For a moment before she blacked out, she was relieved that Remy was not conscious to witness the onslaught.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's note: In case anyone isn't familiar with the term, the word "klicks" is military slang for "kilometers". Jubilee's memory is restored in this chapter. Two installments left after this one. Read on, my good friends.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 8:15 pm**

She'd been dreaming, she realized. It wasn't a good dream. In fact, it was almost a nightmare of something very real. But deep inside, she knew that it was incredibly important. It was teasing her from the tip of her subconscious, and she was severely disappointed when she woke and the dream had escaped her once again.

If only she could hold on.

She groaned, eyes fluttering open momentarily. The light hurt her eyes. Why did it hurt so bad to be awake? She tasted blood in her mouth. She tried to move, but realized her arms were bound and tucked painfully behind her back. The left side of her rib cage was on fire and her left hand felt _wrong_, as though it were in a very bad position. Her knees were sore, and she knew she would not be getting up anytime soon. She shut her eyes tightly, wishing to stay asleep.

"_-think Doc Sanders has lost it,_" someone was saying nearby. _"Shoulda off'd her. I think holdin' the kid for hostage is just gonna piss the X-Men off even more."_

"_And you think killin' her won't?"_ snorted someone else. _"I don't know about you, but I saw what that – that Wolverine – did to Carlos and Dick."_

In her half-awake state, she was able to comprehend that these men were talking about her. She partly wished that they in fact _had_ killed her, for something in the darkness of her mind was calling to her. She preferred at this moment to keep chasing the dream that was beckoning her. She mumbled incoherently, trying to figure out what it was her memories were trying to tell her.

"_I agree though,"_ the man continued. _"Babysittin' sucks."_

"_Yeah_," she heard the first one say just before she slipped back into the darkness, _"This is boring."_

* * *

_Xavier's School for the Gifted, Westchester, New York  
Sunday, April 3__rd__, 10:30 pm_

"This is _boring_," Jubilee complained with a dramatic sigh.

She yawned and blew a strand of hair out of her face as she flipped the channel of the television in Logan's room. Already donned her pajamas – a long, blue baseball tee – she was sprawled lazily at the foot of her surrogate father's bed.

Feeling jealous, she thought momentarily of her teammates, minus Ev of course, who were currently on vacation. "I bet they're having a _blast_ in Cancun."

"It's _s'posed_ to be borin', Darlin'," Logan growled from where he sat at the head of the bed facing the television. "And you're _s'posed _to feel this way. That's why yer grounded, you little punk. Keep it on that channel, I was watchin' that!"

She pouted, but complied and tossed the remote back toward him, muttering, "Not like I did anything _horribly_ wrong-"

"You snuck into a club with a fake ID and ingested alcohol - underage at fifteen," he interrupted as though he'd recited it many a time, which he had since she'd arrived at the mansion.

"Almost _sixteen_," she murmured to herself, temporarily forgetting about his enhanced hearing.

"Stop it," he snapped angrily. He sure was far grumpier than she was about this whole grounding.

"Stop what?" she turned to face him with an exaggerated pout.

"Stop tryin' to grow up," he demanded as she frowned at him.

"It ain't like I haven't been to a bar before, Wolvie," she started with a roll of the eyes as she sat up to face him. "_You_ been takin' me with since I was thirt-!"

"That's _different_," he cut her off sharply with a pointed glare, "'Cause you're always with _me_ when I take ya, an' ya _don't drink_ with me."

Most people in the world would not dare to stand up to the ever intimidating Wolverine; Jubilation Lee happened to _not _be one of them.

Pink-faced, she huffed at him. "Just 'cause I don't drink now doesn't change the fact that I've tasted liquor long before I met you, and you know it!" Jubilee argued. Logan was well aware of her homeless childhood days before they had invaded each others' lives. "You can't make me grow _backwards_!"

"Damnit Jubilee!" his voice rose. She quieted at the severity of his tone, but kept her frown. "Yer _fifteen_! Not _sixteen_, not eighteen, and definitely _not twenty-one_. Fer Christ's sake, just stop tryin' to grow too fast!"

Her face softened at his at his outburst, not due to fear or shame but understanding. Suddenly, she realized why he was so supportive of the punishment bestowed upon her by Emma and Sean. Caught between the stages of childhood and adulthood, she had been selfish enough to think that she was the only one feeling growing pains. Hanging around teenagers old enough to go out without her was infuriating, almost as though the world was teasing her with friendship but taking it away. But now she could see that her surrogate father had to endure his own share of heartache as he watched her make the gradual change from child to woman.

This was simple: Logan was having trouble adjusting to the idea of Jubilee growing up.

She stared at him contemplatively for a moment, as though seeing him in a new light. She crawled up toward where he sat and leaned her head against his shoulder. Her blue eyes gazed into his furious ones and she said, "No matter how old I am or even where I am, I'll always be _yours_, Wolvie."

"Would it kill ya to grow up at your own pace?" he growled in his grumpiest voice, though his eyes softened. "'Stead of tryin' to grow up sooner than you gotta? Look, I get it. Yer friends are bigger an' older an' they can now do things that _you_ can't. But at yer age, _you_ can still do things that _they_ can't."

"Like what?" Jubilee challenged, her pout returning as he placed an arm around her shoulder.

"Fer one," he replied, "You can prob'ly rob a bank and not get charged as an adult."

Despite herself, Jubilee laughed.

"Ain't a joke," he said as she quieted. His words came out harshly, but only someone who truly knew him could understand that he meant them tenderly. "I don't want you rushin' into things. Yer growin', kid, I can see that. But yer _fifteen. _Be _fifteen_. Don't be anythin' other than what you are."

Jubilee didn't respond and didn't need to. He knew what she was feeling. She pressed her face into his chest with a sigh. For the first time she'd been grounded, she actually felt _sorry_for what she'd done.

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 8:48 pm**

She still felt apologetic when she woke up. But the reason why had escaped her as she regained consciousness.

She blinked several times in an effort to adjust to the lighting. She was still bound and in pain. It felt as though every breath she took was on fire. She pushed the aching aside and tried to assess her environment. She was not in a good predicament, and her heart sank when she realized she couldn't see or detect Strange Remy anywhere nearby. Several unrecognizable voices in the distance were talking, but she couldn't distinguish what they were saying. Nor did she care at the moment. The only thing that mattered was that their attention was no longer on her.

She was placed, or perhaps left, next to one of the gasoline tanks she had noted not long ago when she first entered this horrific place. The giant words on the side of the cargo unit were brilliantly bold. The Arial words came into focus, and she read: 'OBLIVION FUEL'. The silver truck once again had her mesmerized, as though it were out of a fairy tale.

Suddenly, she remembered that she'd been dreaming. Not just dreaming, but _remembering_. Her heart leapt at the memory in Logan's room the night she had vanished.

An alarm went off, at first startling Jubilee as it echoed in the large garage. The sound drilled into her head like a hammer, and she wished quite desperately that it would stop. But soon she found that she welcomed it. The shrill sound gradually lulled her back to sleep.

* * *

_Xavier's School for the Gifted, Westchester, New York  
Sunday, April 3__rd__, 11:02 pm_

Jubilee was startled awake by the shrill alarm that blared throughout the mansion, the whirring causing a pulsating sensation in her head.

"Wha-?" she started incoherently, comprehending her surroundings. She was still in Logan's room and the television was still on. She realized she must've fallen asleep next to him.

Amidst the alarm, Cyclops's voice came alive on the intercom:

"_Code Red-November: Gambit, Storm, and Rogue have been ambushed in the city! Get ready to leave in no less than seven minutes!"_

"Red-November?" Jubilee repeated the message as she furrowed her eyebrows in worry. She bolted upright, wide awake now. "That mean's one of them's hurt bad! I didn't even know they were out on a mission!"

She leapt out of Logan's bed, who was already reaching for his emergency uniform in the corner of his bedroom.

"It was supposed to be recon an' nothing serious, kid," he grunted as he threw his shirt off. "Somethin' ain't right."

"I wanna come!" Jubilee declared as she sprinted out of Logan's room and straight into her own room. She threw on the closest article of clothing she could find: jeans and a pair of dirty sneakers. She didn't have time to change out of her night shirt, and her Generation X uniform had been left at Emma's mansion in Massachusetts. Her old X-Men uniform was here but a bit too small after a recent growth spurt. Lack of proper superhero wardrobe mattered very little to Jubilee, however, because all her life she had fought – in _and_ out of uniform.

"You're still grounded!" Logan said, passing her in the hallway as she wrenched her right sneaker on. She ignored his statement and fought the damned sneaker onto her foot as he disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

She sprinted after him down the stairs, passing Everett, who also happened to be grounded and banned from Cancun.

"Where do you think _you're_ going?" Everett stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Duh!" she rolled her eyes and wrenched out of his grip. "I'm gonna go help!"

"You're going to get grounded for longer," he argued, following her down the hall. "This isn't our fight!"

"Of course it is!" she exclaimed exasperatedly, whirling around and glaring at him mutinously. "They're my _family_! Would you abandon _your_ family?"

He seemed to consider this and didn't say anything.

Satisfied, Jubilee concluded quite seriously, "I can't _not _go, Ev."

Without another word, she fled with Everett at her heels down to the basement hangar where Scott and Logan were already loading the Blackbird. Next to the Blackbird, Jean and Beast were suiting up. Bobby was hastily stuffing a bag full of medical supplies. Sam showed up just after Jubilee and Everett, proceeding to helping Logan and Scott load the vehicle.

"Scott!" Jubilee called, panting as she approached the older team with Everett behind her. Cyclops didn't stop to look at her, still throwing equipment onto the Blackbird.

"_No_, Jubilee!" he answered her question sternly before she could ask it.

"We want to help, please!" she begged.

"You're still grounded-"

"I promise won't leave the Blackbird unless it's an emergency-!"

"_Jubilee_, I said no!" Cyclops growled, stopping to look at her firmly.

Jubilee stood her ground when he towered over her, completely unphased by his authority. "I'll fly the injured back to the medical bay!"

"Jubilee, get back up there and monitor the control room!" he ordered, pointing upstairs. He was clearly losing his patience with her.

"It's _Bobby's_ shift tonight!" she argued. "And I can't switch with him because he's still injured from the last mission and you know it!" Her face was red, heated from the anger and hot tears threatened to fall.

Bobby looked up momentarily when he heard his name. His sprained ankle was wrapped and swollen. He gave Jubilee a look that said he was on her side, but wasn't about to voice his opinion and get caught in the crossfire. She was on her own.

"_Jubilee_-" Scott began.

"You always tell us that we gotta be there for each other," Jubilee threw in before he could finish what he was saying. "That this isn't just a team, it's a _family_! You've drilled every damn emergency code into my head since I got here! I know every code and every proper response!" She cut him off again when he tried to speak. "-When you hear 'Red-November' you have to deploy every source of back up you can, even if they end up just sitting on the sidelines!"

She watched with trepidation as Cyclops glanced at the Wolverine, who shrugged hurriedly and continued loading. Still annoyed and running low on time, Cyclops sighed impatiently. He yanked Jubilee by her nightshirt and shoved her toward the Blackbird before he finished loading the aircraft.

There was no room to relish in the bubbling satisfaction of winning an argument against ol' Fearless. She allowed herself only to focus on the fact that someone – Remy, Ororo, or Rogue – was hurt badly. She climbed on board without another word, and Everett joined her soon after.

Not three minutes later the Blackbird had left the hangar, and Jubilee was strapped securely into one of the back seats.

"You want responsibility, Jubilee?" Cyclops asked her in his leader voice once they were well on their way to the city. "You've got it."

She nodded and didn't say a word, knowing his ego had been damaged enough by her tonight. He tossed Jubilee and Everett portable comm links. She placed the earpiece of her link securely onto the right side of her face as Cyclops continued.

"You and Synch are the relay point between the Blackbird and the Control Room," he ordered, looking back and forth between the two teenagers. "You're not to leave the Blackbird unless it's for medical transport or an emergency, understand?"

"Yes, sir," Everett said as Jubilee nodded feverishly.

He turned away from them and spoke to Logan. "Storm's emergency beacon went off somewhere near the back roads of the main highway," Cyclops said to him. "Before we land, while we're twenty feet up, you'll make the first jump to scout the area. Once you give the go-ahead, Jean, Beast, Cannonball and I will follow you out."

Jubilee noted silently that the only reason Logan hadn't opposed to Cyclops's orders was that he had made Logan the point of action. When someone was hurt, Logan was always the first to throw himself in the line of danger. She knew that he could sense her apprehension at the fact that he was going out first, even though the Wolverine was practically indestructible. He placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Though he said no words as Cyclops continued to bark orders, she felt comforted by his gesture.

"Jubilee will keep the Blackbird on standby, ready to fly us out at a moment's notice," Cyclops continued. "Synch, in the meantime, you've got to keep Iceman updated on what's going on, so he can deliver intelligence as needed."

"Cyclops, my friend," Beast interrupted, looking back at him from where he sat at the controls of the bird. "Our ETA is precisely four minutes."

"All right," Cyclops began. Jubilee suppressed an eye-roll as he finished with an all-too-predictable 'ready for anything' speech. "You all know what to do. We don't really know what's out there, except that it's the same fuel company that's been raising red flags on our radars. We don't know who is injured or how badly. Be ready for anything."

Within the predicted timeline, the back door of their aircraft dropped down. Jubilee bit her lip nervously as she watched Logan jumped out.

Two minutes later, the Blackbird had landed and the rest of the adults followed suit.

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 9:22pm**

"_- gotta be that Summers guy settin' the alarm off,"_ someone was saying as she came to. _"It's amazin' how just one person can manage to tick me off so much, no matter what world I'm in."_

Her head was throbbing. But it was nothing compared to the pain in her chest. She winced as she realized the ground was moving. It felt like someone was taking a sanding machine to her torso and face. She wondered momentarily why her feet were up in the air before realized she was being dragged by someone. Her hands were still bound behind her back painfully.

"_More annoying than amazing if you ask me,"_ someone else said.

She groaned and tried to twist around to get off her stomach. If she was going to be dragged, after all, she'd rather her back take the brunt of it.

A man with a face half burnt came into focus as she looked up. "What are _you_lookin' at, you piece o' filth," he growled at her when he realized she was watching him as he pulled her along down the hall. She blinked confusedly, wondering why the scarring on his face looked so familiar. He grew angry when she kept staring and yelled, "For fuck's sake, I said don't look at me like that!"

* * *

_The Blackbird, A Quiet Back Road of the Highway  
Monday, April 3__rd__, 11:29 pm_

"Don't look at me like that," Everett said to her as he slid next to her into the cockpit. "I'm still mad at you."

Jubilee adjusted the pilot's seat so she could reach all the controls. Beast had at one point, with the help of a very ecstatic thirteen-year-old Jubilee, made a series of modifications to several of their air vehicles so that she would be able to pilot with ease during emergencies. She buckled herself in and pulled the straps to tighten them.

She turned and smiled smugly at Everett, pleased at having been right about trying to come on this mission. He was still livid about the Cancun trip, however.

Jubilee shrugged, feeling indifferent to his anger. He would not stay grumpy with her forever; she knew that their friendship was too strong not to survive a bump in the road. Someday this would be something that they could laugh at later on in life. But in the meantime, teasing him while he was still fuming just made it all the more fun. "_I'm_ not the one who forced you into a club-" she taunted, smiling.

"Yes you were!" he cried angrily, even though he knew she was right.

Unfortunately, she knew he knew she was right. "You have two feet and a mouth of your own," she chided in a sing-song voice. "_You_ walked into that club and ordered your _own_ damn drink-!"

"_Will you two idiots cut it out,"_ Bobby's voice interrupted their squabble through their comm links from his station in the Control Room. _"There are more important things going on right now, wouldn't you say?"_

Jubilee shrugged and Everett turned away from her, still fuming. Bobby was right, and it took quite a bit for Bobby to be right. She complied with an all-too-serious sigh.

"What's the deal with this fuel company anyway?" Jubilee asked Bobby, forgetting her situation with Ev. "What beef do they got with us?"

"_Oblivion Fuel,"_ Bobby answered her in a tone far too serious for the normally loose and wise-cracking Iceman. _"Like One-Eye said, they've been raising several red flags. First were several mysterious deaths revolving around the company – human _and_ mutant. We've done nothing so far but keep an eye on them. But recently there have been energy spikes in the area. Hank can't seem to figure out what they mean – except that whatever it is they're doing requires a lot of energy. That's the only reason they're tipping off our radars. When Kitty did a little hack job for us, we found out that Oblivion Fuel is making a bit too much moolah for a small Fuel Company."_

"Doesn't really sound _too_ alarming," Jubilee remarked. "Though, I must admit I've never been a fan of mysterious deaths."

"_Exactly,"_ Bobby continued_. "It didn't have much to do with us, as far as we knew. That's why we weren't invasive during the ongoing investigation. Turns out Cyke doesn't like the idea of mysterious deaths either, so we've only been poking around without digging ourselves too deep. It was only when the energy spikes started popping up that Beast got really interested. With the Professor out on leave, Scooter decided to throw caution to the wind. He didn't expect anything too dramatic for them to find, but he deployed Storm, Rogue, and Gambit in civies to check the place out earlier tonight. From there-"_

"-They were attacked," Everett finished for him, shaking his head.

"That makes no sense," Jubilee said, her stomach tightening at the thought. "If they didn't have anything to hide, why would they attack? Ok, so admittedly _Gambit_'s a little prone to starting off on the wrong foot, but with Storm and Rogue there he wouldn't have provoked anyone into a fight. Oblivion Fuel must've thrown the first punch. But why? And do we have idea who was hurt?"

"_So far, no,"_ Bobby replied. _"Cyke's squad is on radio silence as a precaution until they reach the hot zone. That's what's worrying Jean at the moment: Storm, Rogue, and Gambit were attacked but only Storm's emergency beacon with the code Red-November went off. We heard nothing of Rogue and Gambit. Not a radio message or anything. Beast says because of that and the energy spikes, he's a little wary of their potential use of technology."_

"So what happens if Cyclops and the others _can't_ talk to us?" Everett asked suddenly. "Right now, I mean. What if they're no longer on radio silence and simply can't communicate to us?"

Jubilee bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that.

Bobby was quiet for a moment before he said, _"In that case, we need a backup plan in case I lose communication with the Blackbird. We need a regrouping point if all else fails."_

"I don't wanna move the Blackbird," Jubilee argued. "Cyke said to stay here and be ready to fly in case of an emergency med evac. What if they get here and we're not here?"

"_Since when are you so keen to follow orders?"_ Bobby asked amusedly. _"'Sides, it's only a precaution in case you're forced to move. Don't worry, Jubes, you'll stay where you are unless something happens. I'll fly in with an emergency jet and check your current position first, then I'll head straight to the new regrouping point."_

"Which is where?" Jubilee asked. She didn't like the idea of abandoning her post during an emergency concerning Red-November.

"Here," Everett pointed as he scrolled through the map screen and punched buttons to relay the coordinates to Bobby. "It's a big enough space to land vertically and it's not too far away. If you put the cloaking device on, no one should even notice you. You got the coordinates, Iceman?"

"_Roger Dodger."_

* * *

**Oblivion Main HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 9:44 pm**

When she woke again, she wasn't sure where she was. Half of her still felt like she was still dreaming.

Slowly, she forced herself to recall that the last time she was awake that she was being dragged somewhere. She blinked. She was in a smaller room now and was happy to find that she was now immobile. She didn't think her body could stand being dragged anymore.

It was darker in this room. And she was alone, which was another plus. It meant no jerks to kick her around. She was on the ground next to a bare desk and chair. She inadvertently inhaled the dust on the ground and coughed, causing a painful reaction in her chest. She licked her dry lips as she tried clumsily to pull her good hand free from the binding behind her back.

She froze when she heard voices outside the closed door of her prison.

"_They get 'im yet?"_ someone was asking.

A raspy voice answered, _"Naw, don't worry about it. They will. He ain't a mutant on this side anyway."_

Jubilee knew instantly they were speaking of the Strange Scott Summers. Perhaps he wasn't a mutant, but he sure was good at annoying the enemy. She smiled inwardly, feeling quite proud of him. The goons were still only speaking of Scott, which reminded her that Diane Ling's presence was still unknown to them. Perhaps they had a chance to get out of this after all?

She tried once more to wriggle free of her binds, but was unable. She found that the effort wore her out and the room was going dark again. Dark was good, right? Dark meant the memory would continue.

But no. She shook herself. Now wasn't the time to remember.

She needed to free herself first. Mustering all of her energy, she tried to produce a spark out of her right hand. It _sizzled_ and died very quickly, as though she hadn't done anything at all. Unfortunately, the action had left her exhausted. Despite the futileness of the situation, she had to try once more.

Again, she focused all her strength on igniting her hands in plasma. This time, she was successful. The spark caught momentarily with a loud _pop_, and the bind was weakened. Unfortunately, so was Jubilee.

She realized as she began to fall back into the darkness that the people outside her temporarily cell might have heard her.

She heard the raspy voice say, _"What was that?"_

* * *

_The Blackbird, A Quiet Back Road of the Highway  
Monday, April 4__th__, 12:00 am_

"What was that?" Ev asked as he narrowed his eyes and pointed beyond the cockpit.

From where they sat in the Blackbird, a glow of red above the trees in the distance caught her eye. They'd been sitting dutifully in the aircraft for the past ten minutes, waiting anxiously for a sign from the others.

"That's Cyclops's optic beam!" Jubilee declared knowingly. She frowned suddenly. "That means they're in the hot zone now, right? So why are they still on radio silence?"

It was a quiet night in the city; very few cars had passed by them along the road. Of course, the Blackbird's cloaking device was on so that no passerby would notice them upon first glance.

"_According to the computers here," _Bobby said suddenly, his voice a little strained through the comm link, "_there should be some action going on 1.2 klicks south of the Blackbird."_

"We know, it's right freakin' in front of us!" Jubilee started. "Didn't you hear us talkin-?"

But Bobby cut her off. _"Can you guys see it? Guys? This isn't funny. Jubes? Synch? What the hell is going on?"_

"Bobby!" Jubilee growled into her mic worriedly, as Everett asked at the same time, "You can't hear us, Iceman?"

"_Guys?"_

"He can't hear us," Everett said to Jubilee seriously.

"_If you can hear me," _Bobby's urgent voice rose in their radio, _"I'm gonna prep the emergency jet, Guys. Remember to stick to the backup plan!"_

"But _we_ can hear _him_!" Jubilee realized. "Maybe the others can hear _us_?"

"I doubt it," Everett shook his head. "If we're being jammed too, then we're in the hot zone as well. We can't communicate out; we can only hear what's coming in."

"But wait," Jubilee frowned. "Jean would still be able to contact us telepathically, wouldn't she?"

"Yeah, unless she was somehow disabled. We just gotta stick to Iceman's plan."

"Right," Jubilee agreed reluctantly. Sure, she would abide by Bobby's plan, but she had no intention to leave this position unless she absolutely had to.

"Hey, look!" Everett said, pointing at the radar.

If Jubilee had blinked, she would've missed it. The radar was going off with other blips in the direction of the fight, nearly camouflaging the fluctuation that went off on their radar. There was a distinct energy spike that appeared clearly on the screen of the radar amidst the battle that was taking place just south of them.

"What _was _that?" Jubilee asked. It didn't look like anything she'd ever seen on the radar before. "Think it's a mutant?"

"Don't know," Everett said, frowning at the controls.

The radar's monitor blinked a few times and shut down.

"Hey, what happened?" Jubilee demanded, punching buttons to turn it back on.

"_If you guys can hear me,"_ Bobby's voice said in their comm links, _"It looks like the fight is moving in your direction. Hold your position in case the team needs a quick getaway, and set up your defenses as necessary. I'm about to take off from the hangar. Don't forget the backup coordinates!"_

"Bobby!" Jubilee said into her mic. "Can you hear us yet?"

No answer came. She looked worriedly at Everett.

"Something's for sure jamming communications," he said as he tapped the monitor, "_and _the radar. I'm gonna head to the back and grab a map in case we gotta high tail it outta here."

He unhooked his seatbelt and disappeared somewhere behind her.

Fear nudged her insides, but the adrenaline of superhero business kept her on track. Now wasn't the time to indulge fear. But in this moment, something here felt wrong. Her gut instinct was telling her that something really bad was going to happen. She shoved the feeling away. Her number one priority was keeping the Blackbird ready.

She watched in anticipation toward the distance as several more of Cyclops's beams lit the sky. Somewhere a car alarm went off, followed by a small explosion. A very distinct _tap tap_ sound kept going off once in a while, and Jubilee knew it was the sound of an automatic weapon, but not entirely sure what type.

She'd been focusing quite intently in the distance when something caught her eye nearby. Something that was closer to the Blackbird than where the fight was taking place. Something _moving_.

"What the hell is that?" Jubilee whispered to herself as she peered out the side window of the Blackbird. It glinted silver in the moonlight.

She tried to crane her neck to get a better view, but the seatbelt kept her down. Frustrated, she unbuckled her straps hastily and squinted as she leaned in very closely to the window.

It was a silver fuel truck, careening far too fast in their general direction. She wondered briefly what the hell it was doing. Jubilee became nervous momentarily when the truck grew nearer until she remembered that Hank had landed the Blackbird off the road. The truck would simply pass them along the road, and they would remain unseen. She was sure of it.

Unfortunately, she was wrong.

The truck driver began to lose control, spinning wildly as it barreled nearer. With wide eyes, she realized it was going to hit the Blackbird.

She launched herself back into the seat of the cockpit and reached desperately for the controls. She knew she was too late; the truck was too close and too fast.

She screamed, "EV, GRAB ON TO SOMETHING!"

"What? Why-?" his voice was cut off when the truck slammed into the Blackbird, knocking him off his feet.

On impact, she was thrown out of the pilot's seat, smashing her head into the console.

She blacked out instantly.

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 10:01 pm**

This time when she regained consciousness, she couldn't feel the pain. Light-headed clogged all pain receptors at the moment. She recalled vaguely that she had managed to use her powers the last time she was awake. Too exhausted to even open an eyelid, she was unable to check to see if she had successfully freed her hands. A quick wriggle of her good wrist confirmed that she was not yet free, but the bind had loosened.

She was tired, having had no intake of food or water since after the plane had crashed earlier that day. Her body was beaten and spent.

"_-gotta take her to the other prisoner,"_ the raspy voice was saying in the distance. _"It'll be easier to keep an eye on both 'em with that Summers guy taking everyone out. We lost two more outside the northwest gate. Powers or not, I hate that fucking man."_

"_I'm worried…"_ someone else answered him. _"… still can't find… don't know…"_

She didn't catch the rest of what he said. She was simply too tired to care what this man was worried about.

The tingling in her body was welcoming. Numb was good, she thought. Numb was familiar. She didn't want to be awake anymore. She held on desperately to the numbness, willing the memory in her dreams to continue.

* * *

_The Blackbird, A Quiet Back Road of the Highway  
Monday, April 4__th__, 12:15 am_

She wasn't sure how long she was out but when she came to, she felt strangely numb. She didn't think she was down too long, perhaps only a couple seconds. Carefully, she pushed herself off the foot pedals of the Blackbird and touched the base of her hairline along her forehead. She squinted in confusion when she brought her hand back down and realized her head was bleeding. It should have hurt, but it didn't. Deciding she was glad she couldn't feel pain at the moment, she realized her comm link had been thrown off when the vehicle collided with the Blackbird.

"… feel like I was hit by a truck," Everett moaned from somewhere behind her. She glanced back at him, finding his arm sticking out awkwardly from beneath several bags of equipment.

"We _were_ hit by a truck," Jubilee said, groaning to herself. She forced herself to her feet, feeling dizzy. Realization hit her fast and she was once more alert. "Ev, we gotta get up! That was an Oblivion Fuel truck!"

Everett cursed as he tossed the debris off of himself. There was a visible gash on his forearm. Ignoring his injury, he said, "What's it doing _here_? The fight is supposed to be _at least _one kilometer away!"

"Ten bucks says it ran away when it saw Wolverine," she half joked as she dusted herself off and observed the inside of the Blackbird. There was a considerably large sized dent in the side of it. She winced at the sight, hoping it didn't look this bad on the outside.

"Stop playing around," Everett demanded harshly. "We gotta move before any hostiles corner us."

Jubilee agreed silently. Together, with Everett synching her powers, they destroyed the windshield of the Blackbird. She allowed him to pull her out and they slid down the nose of the damaged jet together.

When she surveyed the crash site outside, she realized that the impact of the crash must've killed the truck driver. Shattered glass was sprayed all over the now un-cloaked Blackbird. She cringed when she verified that their jet had been totaled under her watch. Scott was never going to let her live this down.

The Arial-fonted words 'Oblivion Fuel' on the silver unit of the truck were barely readable, smashed together at odd angles. It reminded Jubilee of an accordion. She gulped slightly at the crushed front-side of the fuel truck, where surely a dead driver was hidden beneath layers of bent metal.

"We're really lucky this didn't explode," she noted nervously, eyeing the silver cylindrical cargo unit. The crash should've sparked an explosion, especially with gasoline in the back.

"Bobby?" Everett was calling into his comm link as he took Jubilee by the arm and led them away from crash. "Can you hear us?"

They stumbled across the road and away from the crash site. Along the way, Jubilee ignored Everett's efforts to establish a conversation with Bobby, continually peering back curiously at the mess. She was supposed to keep the jet safe, she thought guiltily. That was her only job.

"Bobby's not answering," Everett was saying anxiously. "The Blackbird is in no condition to fly out of here right now. We need to regroup with Bobby one and a half klicks north of here. We should go – Jubes, are you listening?"

"Ev, look!" Jubilee pointed as though she hadn't heard a word he said. Nevertheless he complied. "I was wrong," she muttered as a line of trucks appeared behind the smashed truck. "It's not just an Oblivion Fuel truck, it's a freakin' Oblivion Fuel _convoy_!"

Several more fuel trucks and cars with company logos slapped onto their sides appeared and pulled up at the crash. Everett pulled Jubilee out of view where they watched from a safe distance.

"What the hell are they doing?" Everett whispered, as several people jumped out of their vehicles began to hack away at the cylinder. "That thing will explode if they keep that up!"

"It didn't explode when it hit us, remember?" she said, a feeling of eureka washing over her. "I'll betchya there's not one ounce of fuel in that truck. It's a decoy!"

Jubilee shook her head as she watched in awe. This wasn't right at all. Several of the Oblivion Fuel Employees were armed with heavy automatic weapons, M16s by the look of it. Why would a fuel company need those? _Where_ would they even get those? She was beginning to feel quite strongly that fuel was just a cover up for a black market trade.

"So what exactly is it that they're carrying instead of fuel?" Everett asked, realizing Jubilee was correct.

As the side of the ripped truck was slowly torn open, Jubilee had a clear view of its contents. Her stomach twisted sickly.

"Ev," Jubilee's voice shook as she said his name. "Those are _people_!"

She wondered briefly why these people were lying down unmoving. Feeling like an idiot, it dawned on her that they were dead. And Jubilee wasn't sure if it was due to the collision with the Blackbird or something else.

"Oh, my God," Everett breathed next to her.

The employees were suddenly in an uproar, clearly upset at the now-dead cargo that lay upon each other in the back of the truck. They were now shouting at each other and trying to pass blame.

A short, balding man with a mustache suddenly fired into the air to get their attention, and Jubilee covered her ears tightly with her hands. An old bespectacled man with a cane stepped forward next to the balding man who fired and began to speak to the convoy.

They were too far away to hear what he was saying. But at the end of his speech, he pressed something on his wrist, which looked to Jubilee like an overgrown watch. There was a sudden loud whirring from one of the trucks he stood next to. Jubilee wondered briefly what type of machine was being held in that truck.

She blinked in surprised at what happened next. A hole, black as night, appeared in the air before the old man. He stepped into it confidently, followed by three other associates. Without warning, the hole disappeared along with the men who stepped through it.

She opened her mouth to ask Everett if he had also seen what happened, but no words came out. Beside her, Everett was also speechless.

The street lamps flickered momentarily as the machine whirred loudly. Before long, the lights went out permanently. Jubilee and Everett were plunged into darkness.

"Ah!" Jubilee exclaimed, coming out of her stupor, as she felt for Everett behind her. "What happened? It looks like the whole dang city turned its lights off!"

"Shh!" Everett said as he grasped hold of her hand. "I think whatever that machine was fried the electricity. We gotta keep moving. It's not safe here! And don't use your powers or you'll attract attention."

"What about the others-?" she started to ask.

"They'll be fine! Wolverine can track us with no problem. It's _us_I'm worried about right now!"

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 10:27 pm**

The pain woke her from the dream. She was disappointed to find that she was being dragged again. The sandpaper feeling was crushing her face and chest once more. The friction of the ground against her already-aching body caused her to whimper loudly.

"_Shut up, brat!" _they told her.

She tried to struggle, but wasn't sure if she'd even moved a muscle. She was beginning to favor the pain in her broken hand over the dragging feeling. Around her, she could hear gunfire ricocheting nearby. Did that mean Scott and Diane had made it in? Perhaps they had managed to free Remy and were going to rescue her soon.

Aggressively, they tossed her into a room. She fell painfully, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

* * *

_Lost in the Suburbs of New York  
Monday, April 4__th__, 12:25 am_

She tripped on a curb unexpectedly, tumbling forward into several rolls on the paved sidewalk before she stopped. A wave of dizziness hit her. She realized she was beginning to feel the pain from the crash. Fighting the onset of vertigo, she willed her gag reflex to calm itself. She wondered briefly if the crash had given her a concussion. Once her head cleared, she was fully aware that Everett was no longer with her.

"Ev?" she called out loud from where she lay on her back. No answer came from the darkness.

She sat up after several seconds, confused. Dazed from her head injury, she tried to figure out which way Everett had disappeared to and which way they had initially run from. She felt quite alone in the blackout of the city. From the moonlight, she saw that she was next to two brick office buildings. It was quiet, aside from cars that passed in the distance on the highway. She had no intention to head towards traffic, since she was aware that somewhere Oblivion Fuel's convoy was on the move.

She was startled momentarily as gunfire broke the silence somewhere behind her. She wasn't sure how far it was, perhaps two or three blocks. Wisely deciding she didn't want to go in any direction that involved being shot, she pulled herself up and stumbled away from the noise. Regaining control over her motor skills, she began to sprint down an alley in what she hoped was the direction of Everett and Bobby.

"_Jubilee!"_ she heard Logan's voice echo from afar. She stopped automatically when she heard him. "Wolvie?" she answered hesitantly in the darkness. She'd been running upwind; Logan must've caught her scent. Without a second thought, she sprinted in the opposite direction towards the sound of his call – and the gunfire.

Soon he appeared out of the darkness before her onto the street, running at a frightening speed. Scott was running close behind him. They looked alarmed to find her out of the jet and in the darkness – alone. She noted with concern that there were several already-healing bullet wounds that had pierced through Logan's uniform and onto his chest.

"What the hell happened to the Blackbird?" Scott demanded. "It was demolished!" She realized that they must've passed it on their way here.

"It's not obvious?" Jubilee asked exasperatedly, gesturing wildly. "A truck hit us!"

He looked for a moment like he was about to accuse her of causing the accident, but she cut him off.

"Look out!" she screamed, pushing past him as she caught a glimpse of metal behind Scott's back.

She reacted instinctively to the enemy threat of M16s, balling her tiny fist and thrusting forward in a striking motion. A wave of sizzling plasma shot out from her punch and sent the offenders off their feet and onto their backs. In the brightness of her _paff_, she realized that there were two of them. Beside her, Cyclops let loose an optic beam that slammed into the cement at their feet, causing the asphalt to spray out in all directions.

Jubilee ducked beneath a chunk of pavement from the blast. Cyclops gave her a side look that made her feel proud inside. He would never voice his approval of her skills out loud, but she knew when he was impressed. That was enough for Jubilee.

"_Argh! _Watch where yer shootin', Scooter!" Logan grunted as he was hit by debris.

Jubilee was again refocused on the matter at hand. Red-November, she remembered. "Wolvie, who was it?" Jubilee asked desperately, referring to the injured X-Man.

He turned to Jubilee and said seriously, "It was Storm. She was shot. We think she'll make it though, an' Rogue flew her back to the mansion."

"Jubilee," Scott interrupted, looking around. "Where's Synch?"

Jubilee cursed silently to herself at the question; she'd forgotten about Everett. "He ran to the backup coordinates that Bobby gave us, because the emergency jet can't land where the Blackbird is anymore!"

"You split up?" he cried out worriedly.

"_No!_" Jubilee rolled her eyes. "It was an accident. He didn't realize I wasn't behind him when I fell-!"

She was distracted when headlights suddenly appeared upon them, blinding them. Tires screeched as it approached them with intent to kill.

They dived out of the way just in time, Scott to one side and Logan and Jubilee to the other. The car breaks shrieked to a halt. Without warning, Logan covered her body with his nearly crushing her under the weight of his adamantium. Jubilee gave a muffled scream as she heard gunfire. Logan howled in pain above her and she realized what he was doing.

"Wolvie, no!" she protested, but he kept her pinned down effortlessly.

Only when the gunfire stopped did he get off her. She sat up and saw watched as he gutted the man who had shot at them. She could see in the moonlight that Logan's back was bleeding; it had been hit while protecting her. He disappeared, chasing after the passenger of the vehicle who had run for it. Jubilee gulped and knew he aimed to kill. Feeling guilty, she knew it was only because they had shot at his cub.

She suddenly thought of Scott and scrambled to her feet. She nearly tripped in her haste to get to the other side of the vehicle where she found him sprawled face-down on the ground.

"Scott!" she half screamed, panic filling her. She dropped to her knees and rolled him over onto his back.

He was panting and sweating, eyes squeezed shut tightly. His visor had been knocked off. She looked around frantically, but his eyewear was nowhere in sight.

"I'm okay," he breathed painfully as he felt her hands on him. "Bullet just went through my leg."

"Where?" Jubilee asked worriedly as he gestured to his right limb.

"It's all right," Scott huffed. "His my calf. Nowhere near my femoral artery."

Though relieved, she remained on task. "Can you walk?"

"I don't think so – watch out!"

She'd heard it as well: the sound of a hostile sneaking up behind them. She turned instantly, facing her attacker.

Another Oblivion Fuel employee towered over them, with a crowbar in hand. She shot upward with a roar and slammed a foot into his stomach.

The man lurched forward and howled in pain as Jubilee fell back into a fighting stance.

"Jubilee!" Scott said urgently from the ground.

"I'm okay," Jubilee's voice rang, annoyed. "Stop coaching me, Cyke!"

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 10:43 pm**

When she came to, she could smell him. It was strangely comforting to have him nearby. But it was also alarming – it meant he had not been able to escape the factory. Nevertheless, she relished in his presence. His scent was mixed heavily with sweat and blood, but that didn't bother her. Strange Remy was nearby, and she couldn't deny feeling a little safer.

Her eyes blinked open and she saw that he was facing her, wide awake. They were lying face-to-face on the ground next to each other, both bound by arms and feet. He didn't look too bad, considering the last time she'd heard from him he was knocked unconscious. His shoulder had stopped bleeding; she realized someone from Oblivion Fuel must've patched him up reluctantly.

Somewhere in the background, she could hear gunfire going off and voices shouting.

"_P'tite_," Remy whispered, his heavy accent pained. "Look what dey've done to you."

She tried to smile and assure him, telling him that she was okay. She felt her lips move, but she wasn't sure if it had worked. She realized when Remy's eyebrows contorted into even more worry that she hadn't been able to even utter a single word. She was getting sleepy again.

"_Ma Petite_, tell Remy what hurts, please," she heard him say when she blinked confusedly at him. "Jub'lee, what's wrong?"

* * *

_Lost in the Suburbs of New York  
Monday, April 4__th__, 12:48 am_

"Jubilee, what's wrong?" Scott demanded from where he lay on the road, still blind and injured yet able to detect that something was amiss.

A wave of nausea had hit her again, causing her to moan sickly. Still dizzy, she realized that her eyes were seeing double. She blinked several times, swaying uneasily.

She braced herself as the man raised the crowbar up to bring it down on her.

Before he could though, a brown blur charged out of nowhere and body slammed the man to the ground.

"Gumbo!" Jubilee cried as her hero tossed her attacker's limp body away.

"Gambit?" Scott asked, still alarmed.

"What happened to de _Petite_?" Gambit asked Jubilee suddenly once his opponent was unmoving. He reached out to touch her hairline where blood had already dried. "When'd you hit yo' head?"

Jubilee blushed as the nausea vanished once more. She hadn't intended to bring up the possibility of a concussion until this fight was over for the sake of not worrying anyone.

Before she could answer, Logan appeared out of the shadows and startled her by asking, "She hit her head? When?"

"When the gas truck hit the Blackbird, _okay_?" Jubilee sighed, defeated. "But if you don't mind, we gotta get outta here now. Bobby flew the emergency jet to backup coordinates!"

"Where?" Gambit and Cyclops asked in unison.

"I – actually," Jubilee stuttered. "I don't know! I got disoriented when Ev and I were separated. It was supposed to be just over one klick north of the Blackbird."

She watched as Gambit looked deep in thought. He pointed suddenly to his left. "Should be _dat_ way."

"Let's go then," Logan said as he took point. Jubilee, as always, followed faithfully in his footsteps.

"Jeez, _mon Ami_," Remy grunted he hauled Scott to his feet. "When you get so _fat_?"

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 10:52 pm**

"_-gonna be all right, Petite,"_ his voice was soothing as she stirred once more. _"Don't worry. Dey comin' to get us."_

Her dream had slowly been becoming more and more vivid as it continued. She was again unsure of which world she was currently in. She thought she heard something crash nearby, followed more _tap tap taps_ of gunfire.

Another voice spoke up, closeby and unrecognizable: _"-somethin' wrong here. It ain't just Summers – there's someone else helpin' him!" _She knew instantly that this voice was unfriendly.

Once again, Jubilee could sense that Strange Remy was near. Or was it Gambit? Was she still fighting Oblivion Fuel alongside the X-Men in the middle of the night, or was she now trapped in their headquarters – a whole world away?

She didn't want to take the chance; she had to warn Gambit that the streetlight going to fall. She pried her eyes open and mumbled, "Tch'out, Gumbo…"

"_Remy's right here," _she heard him say as she shut her eyes again.

The unrecognizable voice shouted again from the distance: _"Who are these guys?"_

* * *

_Suburbs of New York City  
Monday, April 4__th__, 1:25 am_

"Who the hell _are_ these guys?" Jubilee screamed as a dead stoplight came crashing to the pavement at Gambit's feet. She watched as Logan leapt onto the truck that crashed into the streetlight and tore the top off.

They had been ambushed and with Scott temporarily disabled, they were a little underhanded. The power in the city had not yet been restored, and with their luck it wasn't going to come back anytime soon. Where the X-Men were mainly focused on disabling their adversaries, Oblivion Fuel aimed to _kill_.

"Gumbo?" Jubilee asked over her shoulder at Gambit, who had put Scott down temporarily. "Where are the others? Why didn't Jean try to contact me an' Ev?"

"She was knocked out early on," he replied earnestly. "Last I saw, Sam had 'er. Got split up not long after Cyclops appeared wit' reinforcements. Don' worry, _Petite_, we gonna find 'em an' dey gonna be all right!"

His voice was nearly drowned out at the sound of more automatic gunfire several blocks away. She looked in the direction of the firing and saw the unmistakable mist of Iceman's frost freezing the air above the buildings. There was a flickering of orange light that clearly meant a fire had ignited.

"Bobby's here!" she exclaimed, feeling relieved. She remembered that he was still injured from the last mission, but knew that would never stop him from coming to their aid.

"That's where he landed the emergency jet, right?" Scott asked from where he sat helpless and blind on the ground. Despite his current disability, he was still in leader mode. "We need to regroup and find a way to reestablish communication!"

"Quit yer barkin', Eyeless," Logan said as he pulled their fearless leader over his shoulder and headed in the direction of Bobby. "We're already on it!"

Jubilee jogged in Logan's steps next to Gambit. "What's going on, Gumbo?" she asked urgently as they moved quickly. "There were _bodies_ in the truck that hit the Blackbird!"

"Dey be sellin' 'em!" he said above what sounded like an explosion. They were getting closer to the coordinates now. "While dey still alive, anyway!"

Gunfire erupted again, this time very close to their position. He grabbed her by the night shirt and pulled her along behind an abandoned Oblivion Fuel Car on the side of the road. Logan had ducked for cover as well, taking Scott with him. Jubilee was amazed at how far she had gone tonight without actually taking a bullet – mostly thanks to Logan and Gambit.

"They're doing – they're _what_?" Jubilee stuttered from behind the safety of the car, unsure if she heard him correctly.

"Dey're _trafficking_ humans! Dey sellin' 'em for labor!" Gambit repeated as he placed a hand on a car. "Get back, _Petite_!"

Her eyes widened when she realized he was going to blow up the car as a distraction. She bolted in the opposite direction with Gambit at her heels.

"_What_?" Jubilee asked when they stumbled to a stop. Logan and Cyclops were nowhere in sight, but she knew they were nearby. "How? This ain't an obscure region of Europe – this is North _fudgin'_ America! There are no blatantly huge trafficking ops going on _here_!"

"Tell dat to de people dey got holed up in the trucks, _Petite_," Gambit replied grimly, his demon eyes narrowing at the sick idea.

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Monday, May 2****nd****, 11:11 pm**

This time, the sound of violent scuffling woke her up. She no longer felt confused about where she was. Though still feeling groggy, she was beginning to develop the ability to discern this world from the memory that was flooding her subconscious.

She was no longer in the safety of Remy's presence, but she could hear him.

The grinding sensation of the ground scraping against her torso and face alerted her to the fact that she was being dragged by her feet again. She was getting incredibly tired of being dragged around like a doll. She moaned and tried to roll off of her chest to ease the pain. Where were they taking her this time?

"_-off o' her!"_ she heard Remy growling. She heard the unmistakable sound of fist on flesh and winced inwardly.

He was fighting, yelling even, and causing quite a commotion. She wanted to tell him to stop and save his energy for a better time, but she was distracted by the damn dragging.

Suddenly her feet dropped and she was no longer mobile. She sighed with relief as the pain eased. She managed to roll tenderly onto her right shoulder to relieve the pain in the left side of her rib cage.

There was a distinct _thud _and she opened her eyes to find that Remy had been thrown next to her. He was opening and closing his jaw, stretching the part where she knew he'd been hit just a moment ago.

"_Petite," _he murmured when he realized she was conscious again. "You awake!"

She nodded and muttered weakly, "No' fer long." He looked relieved to hear her speak as though he had thought she'd lost the ability. "Think my lef' hand is broke," she whispered, breathing in small gasps. "An' some ribs."

"A'ight," Remy's dropped his voice low. "Just take it easy, okay? We gonna be outta here soon. Reinforcements are drivin' d'ese guys nuts. Dey don't know what's up or down or how many more people on our side we got out d'ere."

She blinked sleepily as she comprehended his words. He wouldn't dare say Diane and Scott's names while there were prying ears in the room with them.

Old habits drilled into her by a certain feral, she tried to avert her focus from the pain and looked up at the ceiling. She began to gauge her surroundings but was only able to determine that she was now in a large room. She was sure this was _not_ the same room she and Remy had snuck into earlier. It was hot in here, and it smelled funny. And though she couldn't tell how many of them were here, she knew that they were not alone.

"Rem?" she whispered, feeling sleepier now.

She nodded off momentarily and Remy nudged her head wit hhis.

She blinked furiously; she had to tell him before she lost consciousness again. "I loosened my bind earlier," she told him dazedly. He nodded as he comprehended the information she gave him. She didn't have to say anything more. He would be able to somehow free her arms completely when he got the chance. One hand was severely injured, but if she found enough strength she would be able to use her good one in a fight.

She was beginning to feel numb again. And just like the last time, Jubilee welcomed the feeling.

She glanced beyond Remy and realized that the old bespectacled man with the cane, Doctor Sanders, was working feverishly away with a large contraption that was whirring and rumbling as it worked.

"What is that?" she asked Remy before her eyes glazed and she blacked out for the last time.

* * *

_The Point of No Return, NY City Suburbs  
Monday, April 4__th__, 1:20 am_

"What is _that_?" Henry McCoy asked above the chaos of the fight, his surprise temporarily disabling a usually rich vocabulary. The five-foot metal machine that had their resident doctor puzzled was now sizzling with energy in the back of a cargo truck.

They'd made it to the backup coordinates provided by Bobby. Most of the deployed X-Men were present and already engaging in battle – minus Rogue and Storm, who had flown back to the mansion. Also missing were Jean and Sam, still nowhere to be found.

When they'd arrived, Jubilee realized that the Oblivion Fuel convoy had already made its way here, somehow bypassing them as they ran through darkness of the city.

Jubilee had joined Bobby, Hank, and Everett on one side of the fight, defending the Blackbird with a wide radius.

"I'll betchya a whole case of Twinkies _that's_ what's causing the recent energy spikes," Bobby said as he threw a wall of ice up to block a barrage of oncoming bullets.

"I'd prefer, Robert," Hank replied as he sprang back into action, "not to take such an unwise bet – especially if the risks involve Twinkies!"

"That thing!" Jubilee exclaimed suddenly, forgetting to laugh at Hank's joke. She pointed at the large machine that was whirring from the cargo truck. "_That_ was making the weird sounds when that old dude stepped through the hole! It turned on when that geezer did something – right, Ev?"

Everett, who was busy synching Bobby's powers, apparently hadn't heard her whole sentence. "Huh?" he asked as he ducked to avoid a falling power pole.

"Nevermind!" Jubilee sighed, eyeing the machine suspiciously. "I think it's like – like an _energy_ source or something!"

"I do believe – _urgh!_" Hank began as he pummeled into a car and sent it flying towards a group of enemy, "- that you may be correct in your assessment, my dear." He paused to smile at her momentarily, sharp white teeth showing in the darkness. "I may have to recalculate the credit I applied to the analytical theory section of your science exam on diabolical machinery."

Jubilee smiled brilliantly at the praise as he winked at her and swung away in the trees to assist Gambit who had Cyclops, still blind and injured, near the emergency jet.

"Really?" Bobby grunted as he threw up another shield of thick ice. He limped as he staggered to Everett and Jubilee, his sprained ankle clearly hindering his abilities to defend properly. "Is _now_ the time to be minding _homework_? I don't care _what_ that thing _is_ or _does _– it's an evil machine, and we need to kill it!"

Jubilee didn't get a chance to retort when she noticed that they were about to be flanked from the side.

"Look out, Iceman!" she heard Everett yell. Jubilee turned in time, and knew that Bobby would be too slow to move out of the way with his injured leg. She had no intention of having another Red-November on their hands.

She threw her arms up and discharged a blast of plasma that engulfed Bobby as the automatics fired into him. She allowed the plasma to grow frantically, the sound of the continuing gunshots making her thicken the layer of plasma.

The firing stopped and she heard Logan's growl above the _crackle_ of her plasma. She couldn't control it anymore; the plasma continued to turn brightly in the air nearly, the sound deafening them. Bobby was now invisible to them among the sea of bright colors.

"Jubilee, _STOP!_" Everett yelled as he knocked her aside. She fell, thankful that Everett had stopped her, because she was afraid that she had just burned one of her best friends to death. She looked up, white-faced, to see what had become of their friend Bobby.

When the plasma cleared, Bobby stood there untouched by the bullets. His face was reddened from the heat, and his blonde hair was tousled every which way. A five-foot radius of unburned pavement surrounded him. The plasma had disintegrated all the bullets that came near him. His mouth hung open when he met her wide eyes, and they both knew that she had saved him somehow.

"How in the world did you _do_ that, Jubes?" Bobby asked her as he stared incredulously at his own chest where there should've been bullet holes.

"I – I don't know," she stammered as she stared at her hands in awe.

"Maybe I should consider synching you more," Everett said in wonderment as they continued to stare at Bobby.

"Well, whatever it you did," Bobby said as he came out of shock, "_please_ don't stop anytime soon!"

"-de _hell_ was that?" hollered Gambit at them from afar.

Everett pointed at Jubilee accusingly as Logan appeared behind her and nudged her toward the aircraft. "Never mind that right now," he yelled, "Get to the jet!"

They made an obedient dash for the jet, Bobby being supported by Everett, as Logan tore into another group of Oblivion Fuel employees to give them time.

They were actually lucky that Bobby was injured, because before they made it to the jet another Oblivion Fuel vehicle crashed into it, igniting a fiery blaze. Jubilee slid to a stop before the demolished plane in awe. She was certainly glad that _this_ time she wasn't actually _inside_ the vehicle when it was hit. Nevertheless, her annoyance was increasing exponentially at the frequency of this type of event tonight.

"What the _hell_ is with all these damn trucks _hitting_ all our planes?" she cried out as the jet caught fire. "They're like – _kamikaze_ on wheels!"

"Move, _Petite_!" Gambit commanded from out of nowhere, ushering Jubilee aside to safety between two city buildings as Oblivion Fuel reinforcements began to arrive.

"What are we gonna do?" Jubilee asked him worriedly as she watched Bobby and Everett attempt to put the fire out. "_Both_ the planes are down, and we're still missing two X-Men!"

"D'ere's _always_ a way, _P'tite_," he said firmly. "We jus' gotta find an openin', and we'll be all right. Listen, we gotta take out dat machine-"

He was cut off. Jubilee cringed and covered her ears as something thundered dangerously nearby.

"Is that a _fifty cal?_" Jubilee asked as she peered beyond the alley they were hidden. Gambit cussed as he peered over her shoulder. Sure enough several Oblivion Fuel employees had deployed a monstrous a fifty caliber browning machine gun. They were just off to Gambit and Jubilee's right. "That's just-," Jubilee stuttered, "Well that's – utterly _ridiculous_ and completely _unnecessary_! Where in the world did they even _acquire _one?"

"Gotta disable it," Gambit said seriously, ignoring her question and momentarily forgetting what he was previously telling her.

"I took out M16 bullets to save Bobby, and I don't even know _how_ I did it," Jubilee explained. "But I don't think I can stop a fifty cal, Remy."

"Can't stop de bullets, but d'ese two former t'ieves can surely stop de gun itself."

She was amazed at how calm and confident he seemed throughout this whole ordeal.

"Wait for de signal," he said as he disappeared behind her. She knew he would reappear behind the browning to begin their assault. She waited patiently, ignoring the urgent feeling as the machine gun continued to fire. Luckily, these guys had no real military training at all. Their shots were clumsy and sporadic, not precise and in bursts as they should be.

She narrowed her eyes as she saw the shadow appear behind them. The gun suddenly pointed up and continued to fire. She knew the guy who had his finger on the trigger was unconscious now. Still cringing, she bolted from the alley and towards the heavy gun where she wrung his hand off of the machine, ceasing the loud noise. Gambit in the meantime had just knocked another man unconscious.

Jubilee heaved the heavy gun off its mount and it tipped over, and it fell to the ground with a loud _thump_. She looked at it, unsure of what to do. "Uh," she said as she rubbed her neck and looked up sheepishly at Remy. "Frost an' Cassidy haven't exactly gone over how to disassemble fifty cals at school yet."

"G'lord, _Petite_," Remy sighed. "What de hell dey teachin' you in Mass'chusetts? Don't need to _disassemble _– jus' gotta _blow it up_!"

Jubilee nodded, feeling dumb, and moved away from the browning as Gambit placed a hand on the offense machinery.

She ducked behind a trash can and Remy followed her soon – but he was too late. The browning exploded, acting as shrapnel, and caught Gambit in the back and legs. He went down with a painful grunt.

"Gambit!" she cried as she looked back and saw that he'd fallen. She ran to him and examined his back as he moaned. She stuffed both her index fingers into one of the holes of his trench coat and ripped it open to see his wounds.

"'m fine, _Petite_!" he said as she proceeded to rip his inside shirt open.

"No you're not," she grunted as she examined the torn and bleeding flesh. "You took bits of browning into your back, Rem. Looks like you got a gimp leg too. I don't think it hit any bone or anythin'. It's sharper than and bigger than a bullet, and I can't pull it out here!"

"Get us out of range of fire!" he ordered, as he struggled to sit up with her help.

"Jeez, Remy, you're fatter than Cyclops!" she muttered she put his arm around her to lead him to the safety of the alley.

Several long minutes later, she dropped him down against the brick building of the alleyway. She was about to rejoin the fight when he grabbed her by the night shirt and pulled her down to his face-level.

"Listen," he said intensely, demon eyes glaring into her vibrant blue ones. "I'm mostly useless righ' now, so you gotta take dat machine out!"

She knew he was referring to the giant whirring contraption they'd seen in the truck. "Right," Jubilee nodded. "Wait, _how_?"

"It's a wireless power hub!" he explained urgently, disregarding her question. "De people dey traffickin' are from another world, another _universe_!"

"What? How is that possible?" Jubilee asked frantically.

In the distance, she heard Logan roar. She knew from the tone that he was about to go feral. She made to leave Remy to tend to her surrogate father when Remy tightened his grip on her night shirt.

"_Listen!"_ he demanded harshly to keep her focused. She gulped and complied, trying her best to ignore Logan's rage and the screams of men who were currently on the receiving end of it. "It's a power hub!" he repeated importantly. "It creates a way for dem to use de wrist machines to open portals to de other world! We found out when we broke into one o' d'eir local offices an' got caught! _Dat's_ why dey attacked us! _Dat's_ why Stormy got shot! Dey got another machine from de world where dey stealin' people from! Stormy said if we destroy one or de other den _no one_ can travel back an' fort' b'tween de worlds anymore!"

"B-but," Jubilee stammered at the onslaught of new information. Bobby was right, she realized; the machine was evil and needed to die. "How do I destroy it?" she repeated as she gained control over her shock.

"Dere's _always_ a way, _ma Petite_._ Jus'_ gotta find a way to make it happen." He suddenly smiled encouragingly at her before he shoved her toward the fight. "Go!"

Without thinking twice, she left him in the alley where he was safe and sprinted toward the Blackbird, all the while ducking beneath flying debris and gunshots. She was relieved to find that Bobby and Everett had successfully extinguished the flames.

"Where've you been?" Everett panted as he pulled the injured Cyclops under the cover of the vehicle's ramp. "Wolverine's gone feral an' we can't find Gambit!"

"I was _with_ Gambit-!" she began to explain.

"Jubilee?" Scott bolted upright suddenly when he heard her voice. "You're okay? And Gambit too? I heard a browning not long-!"

"We're _fine_," she sighed, annoyed. She looked back up at Everett. "We took the browning out – Look, I don't have time to explain! Where's the – the big noisy machine thingie in the truck?"

"It's over there," Everett pointed behind her. "Why?"

Jubilee's confidence dropped slightly at the handful of adversaries who were surrounding the truck that held her current target. "Oh, you've _got_ to be kidding me!" she cried at the unfairness of it all.

"What are you-!" Cyclops was cut off as they were bombarded by a pile of dusty rubble. Apparently another vehicle had blown up, taking out part of a building nearby.

"Ev!" Jubilee tried to explain above the noise, ignoring Cyclops's persistent questions. "We gotta-"

Bobby fell unceremoniously on top of her, interrupting her with a loud "_Oomph!_"

"Iceman!" Everett exclaimed as their friend came down.

"What just happened?" Cyclops demanded as he felt Jubilee's legs collapse when Bobby fell on her.

Jubilee slid a further-injured Bobby off her lap and shoved him next to Scott. He was alive, she found out when she checked for his pulse, but was now unconscious.

"Stay here, Cyke!" Jubilee said as Scott's voice rose.

"Where the _hell_ do you think you're going, Jubilee?" Cyclops demanded from his position.

Jubilee purposefully ignored their adult supervision and said to Ev, "I need a distraction!" She pointed toward the truck where the large diabolical machine was hiding.

"What – _how_?" Ev asked, dumbfounded as Jubilee took off in the darkness.

She looked over her shoulder and yelled vaguely, "There's _always_ a way!"

Jubilee panted as she weaved in and out of dark alleyways to get closer to the truck, using the blackout and nightfall as cover. She bypassed Beast and Cannonball, who up until now she thought was missing. She ignored the welcome discovery and kept going, remembering Gambit's enforcing words. Frustrated, she couldn't get near enough to the machine to do any real damage to it. She simply had to wait for Everett's distraction.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long. The men were distracted by a series of yells and small explosions. One-by-one, they staggered away from the truck and left it unprotected. Thankful that whatever Everett had done was working, she moved forward swiftly.

She approached the truck in the darkness and felt along the side of it until she found the back end of it. She licked her licks in anticipation and turned the corner to peer inside the truck. They had left the door open and the machine was alive and whirring inside of it.

"Too easy," she said, smiling cockily at her prey.

"_Ain't it past your bedtime, baby?"_ someone asked from behind her.

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Guess I spoke too soon."

She whirled around and eyed two new opponents steadily; they were both carrying pistols. But the bigger one was wearing another metal wrist-device – the same type she recognized from the old man earlier. The kind, she recalled Gambit saying, that opens portals to another world. She had to acquire that thing somehow.

"So tubby wants to play, huh?" she challenged with a brave smile, falling into a proper defensive stance. "What's wrong?" she chided. "Can't take li'l ol' _me_ all by your lonesome?"

Like all ever-doers, the man's ego was easily bruised, and her trap was set. He turned to his smaller companion and said, "I can handle the brat." He tossed his pistol aside and pulled out a switch blade as his friend disappeared into the fight. Turning back to Jubilee he said, "You'll wish you never set foot here, little kid."

"Try me," Jubilee invited him brightly.

He sprang forward, blade outstretched. Jubilee adored the look on his face when mid-lunge, his expression turned to horror as she unleashed a gush of plasma in his face. She was satisfied when his startled scream filled the air. He was on the ground now, squirming in pain as the burns already began to blister on half of his face.

"Not bad for a _little kid_, eh?" she laughed.

She took the opportunity to wring the metal wrist device off of his arm once he passed out from the pain. She turned the metal device over in her hand examining it, but was immediately pummeled by someone. She was vaguely aware that she'd dropped the device in the scuffle that twisted her left wrist and knocked her down. She was now concerned over a pair of rough hands that were encircling her neck.

"_Die,"_ her attacker whispered cruelly to her as he began to squeeze harder.

She couldn't breathe anymore, let alone call for help. The world was becoming darker than it already was, but she continued to try to fight his hands off. Desperate to live, she mustered all the energy inside of her and grabbed a fistful of shirt with her good hand. She shut her eyes tightly and unleashed an ear-splitting assault of plasma into his torso.

Eyes still shut, she was relieved to feel that his hands had released their hold on her throat. Coughing violently, her vision returned. She felt dizzy when she sat up, her lungs still convulsing from the attack. She looked to see where the man had gone and gasped when she saw him.

"_No_," she whispered to herself. "NO!" She crawled to her feet and hastily approached the dead man's body – he had been blown off of her and landed several feet away. His blackened flesh made her nauseous.

Wide-eyed and whimpering at what she had done, she stumbled onto the wrist device that she had dropped earlier. It activated without her knowledge. Shock filled her core, and she shook her head violently at the deed she could never undo as tears fell. She was barely aware that she had stepped backwards into the portal and away from everything she held dear.

Jubilation Lee never heard the panicked screams of her teammates calling her name, nor did she hear the anguished cry of her feral father, when she disappeared into a world away from home.

* * *

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 12:15 am**

This time when she woke, she knew the memory of that night had reached its last leg. Still feeling the pain of taking a life, she fought back the tears that threatened to fall. She realized now why Oblivion Fuel was still able to make that trip back and forth between her world and Strange Remy's. It was because she had failed to destroy the machine when she had the chance. She knew very well that the X-Men, given the opportunity, would refuse to destroy the machine until they were able to retrieve her safely.

Bobby's words from that night one month ago echoed in her mind: "_It's an evil machine, and we need to kill it."_

Blinking rapidly, she found she was still bound next to Strange Remy in the large room with the old man and his psychotic minions. Her head was now feeling clearer than it had in hours.

"Rem," she said just barely loud enough for him to hear her. She had no intention of drawing the attention of her abusive captors.

He looked at her when she'd said his name, concern in his eyes. "You awake now?" he whispered, leaning in close to meet her eyes.

She nodded, aware of the pain in her body again and winced. "'Bout how long was I out?" she asked tiredly.

"In an' out for mebbe an hour now since dey put us in dis room," he explained. He gave her a funny look. "You were talkin' in your sleep."

"Oh?" she said as she wriggled to give her numb arm some circulation. "What'd I say?"

He frowned at her. "_Petite c_alled Remy fat."

"Not _you_," she shook her head. "Gambit," she explained quietly, trying to explain what had gone on in her head while she was unconscious. "The night I fell into your world… had to drag his heavy ass… hit by shrapnel. He was 'kay when I left him."

He realized what she was trying to tell him. "You remember?" he asked. "Everyt'ing?"

She nodded.

Now that her memory had been restored, she had to worry about how to get back through a portal similar to the one she'd accidentally opened. She blinked several times as she looked around. Things were quieter now; whatever firefight had been going on while she was asleep had now subsided. She wasn't sure whether it had ended in their favor or not. "The others?" she whispered.

"Still evading capture," Remy assured her. "Prolly regrouping somewhere. If dey were dead, d'ese goons would be celebrating. But look at 'em: dey still nervous an' alert."

He was right. The guards were certainly watchful for any sign of danger, their fingers a little too close to the triggers of their automatics for Jubilee's comfort. She knew despite his calming words that he was worried about Scott and Diane as well.

She looked around the room fiercely and was pleased to see that her eyes were now able to focus at a distance. She knew by moving so much she might draw the attention of the guards. But this was far too important; she simply _had_ to find the machine that was whirring noisily to confirm what needed to be done. It was there, smaller and was less noisy than the one in her dream. But she knew it was the same power hub Gambit had told her about.

She lifted her slightly head to see beyond Remy, the pain in her ribcage nearly preventing her from doing so. But she needed to verify the existence of the machine, which served as an energy hub for the wrist-devices that opened the portals. It was a good twenty feet away, certainly out of her reach at the moment. She licked her lips excitedly at the sight.

She looked back at Remy, adrenaline drowning the pain of her movement. She began to theorize.

"It has to be destroyed," she explained quietly and urgently, referring to the machine that lay behind him. Her voice didn't waver or show any sign of pain. She was determined to make all of this right. "Somehow, when we break free of these bonds and after I make it through a portal… you gotta destroy it."

He knew she wasn't delusional anymore. Her brilliant blue eyes bore into his with maturity he'd only caught glimpses of before. "How?" he asked desperately.

She shook her head and continued to explain the desperation of their situation. "There's another one like it in my world; _this_ one seems smaller and less powerful. I think that's why the one in my world _doesn't_ require life energy – that's why they gotta off people to make the portals work in your world!" She took a deep breath as though the explanation was wearing her out. "If one or both machines are destroyed, then the jump between our two worlds won't work."

"_Petite, _slow down," Remy said softly, his voice low and serious. "Tell me – _how_'s Remy s'posed to destroy it?"

Jubilee looked into Strange Remy's eyes, reflecting on the words and orders of Gambit as she said, "There's _always_ a way."


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note: One international move later, I am updating. I told you I wouldn't abandon you. I just happen to live a very unusual lifestyle that includes a lot of change, a full time job, and on-the-side volunteer work. Plus I'm married to the Army and that's its own damn territory, so there we go. I'm also incredibly slow! I apologize for the structural issues in the last chapter. For some reason some words got stuffed together and the underlined words didn't underline completely! We're almost there, guys. One more chapter after this.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 12:52am **

She was free! Remy had successfully and discreetly removed her hand binds. She kept her hands tucked behind her back, unwilling to unveil her secret. Despite her sudden freedom, she was still at a great disadvantage. Injured severely, she had limited movement. But the adrenaline was now pumping so hard that the pain she should have felt was muffled. She was determined to have the element of surprise.

Doctor Sanders was humming merrily as he poked and prodded his beloved and obnoxious machine – the dreadful and diabolical concoction which was the reason Jubilee was stuck in this mess. Several armed guards hovered around the room, pacing nervously as Diane and Scott had yet to be found.

"I think I got a lil' juice left, Rem," she whispered quietly, referring to her powers. "Maybe I can distract 'em while and get a wrist machine thingie-"

"Don't push it, _Petite_," he cut her off. "Remy jus' want you to get outta here firs' and regroup wit' Diane, y'hear? And _then _we'll get you through a portal."

"And leave you?" she frowned. "Yer crazy-"

Doctor Sanders' condescending voice interrupted. "Don't think I can't tell you two are sharing secrets," he drawled.

"No one invited you to this conversation, fucktard," Jubilee spat venomously, though wearily.

Remy shook his head warningly at her. Even in a disabled state, she was unable to resist the urge to shut up.

A violent explosion in the distance caught them all off guard. Jubilee shared a satisfied glance with Remy, both knowing their friends were planning something.

"Check on that, gentlemen, would you?" Doctor Sanders gestured to half of the men.

They filed out reluctantly, knowing that to face whatever was out there was to face almost certain doom. Several felt the need to scramble for more ammunition.

Without warning, a hole, black as night, appeared before Doctor Sanders, and someone staggered through, bleeding.

"Doc!" he cried out as he fell to a knee. "The X-Men are on the other side! We need reinforcements!"

At the news, Jubilee couldn't suppress the wide grin that took over her face. Things were becoming increasingly unpleasant for her new nemesis.

Doctor Sanders sighed, apparently irritated. "They can't possibly know already that we have acquired their little offspring?" He frowned, as though deep in thought. He gestured toward two individuals and said, "You two stay here with me. The rest of you, please tend to the _other side_. It wouldn't hurt to let them know that we have her. Get them off to ease off of our territory a bit, don't you think?"

The question lingered n the air.

One of the men shook his head disbelievingly. "I'd rather fight the non-muties on this side, Doc," he frowned. Nevertheless, he took his automatic and stepped through the portal, followed by the other men.

Jubilee stared longingly at the portal as it disappeared silently.

Doctor Sanders stood there momentarily, looking weak. Jubilee could tell he was quickly losing control of the situation. He was getting scared. This was dangerous as well, because it meant he would try desperately to gain control. True to her prediction, he turned suddenly to face her with chilling eyes.

"Bring her to me," he ordered quietly. She frowned suddenly, knowing that she deserved a better grade on a recent essay she'd written for Cassidy entitled 'Predicting the Enemy's Next Move'.

She tensed as the two men approached her. She could hear Remy growl behind her.

Instead of going straight for her, however, one of the men went straight to Remy and slammed the butt of his rifle into Remy's bad shoulder. He cried out painfully as the other goon grabbed a fistful of Jubilee by the hoodie and dragged her forward toward Doctor Sanders.

The fire in her bruised chest burned again, and her eyes stung with tears as she tried to ignore the pain. She was stopped at the feet of the old man, glaring up at him maliciously.

"Not so high and mighty _now_, are we?" Doctor Sanders asked mockingly as he stared down at her, poking her gently with his cane.

His eyes widened in surprise at the sudden smirk that appeared on her face.

She thrust her good hand up, despite the pain in her chest, and let loose a weak spark of plasma. Nevertheless, it managed to blind the three adversaries. With a roar, she managed to kick in Sanders's knees. He fell to the ground easily, and she made a hungry dash for the glinting wrist device attached to his arm.

"No!" Sanders struggled feebly when he realized what she was trying to do. "Get her off!"

"_Jubilee!_" she heard Remy call out behind her, clearly still bound and unable to help. She didn't have time to look, for all her attention was focused on prying the device loose with her good fingers.

She screamed violently when she was pulled off of Doctor Sanders and tossed to the ground. She let loose a spiel of Wolverine-esque profanities that would make an entire bar cringe. The man who had attacked her her began to shake her roughly. Nevertheless, she continued to scream.

"Shut her up!" Doctor Sanders ordered at two of his minions above Jubilee's murderous threats of violent death. The elderly man struggled to get up, clearly fazed by Jubilee's sudden and unexpected attack. "Get her out of here, and shut her up!"

"_No!"_ Remy protested, not liking the lusty look one of the men was giving Jubilee.

Jubilee kicked up and screamed furiously when the other man tried to grab at her feet, but upon a second try they managed to drag her away toward the south door that led to the private offices in the back of the building.

"Leave her be!" Remy demanded furiously. He began to pull at his binds again, but to no avail. He could only watch helplessly as the men dragged her away.

Her good hand clawed at the doorway as she screamed.

"_Jubilee!_" Remy called out to her desperately as she disappeared behind the door.

Her screams faded as the distance between them increased.

**Ventilation System, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:15am**

"Come on," Scott grunted as he heaved Diane up into the open vent. She was a lot smaller than he was, so when it was his turn to climb up, naturally he had a little trouble. He grunted as he trailed uncomfortably after her through the shaft, trailing his automatic weapons along by the strap wrapped clumsily around his right foot; he was simply too wide to hold it with him as Diane had with hers.

They had managed to wedge through successfully bypassing a series of clueless Oblivion Fuel employees who were now trailing the perimeter of the facility after the explosion they had set off. Sweaty and exhausted, yet somehow unharmed by the multitude of flying bullets, they had been slowly cracking the defenses of the factory. They had realized that something had gone wrong after they witnessed Jubilee's explosion in the garage. Since then, they'd worked meticulously drawing out the enemy and bringing their number significantly down.

"How do you know where we're headed?" Scott asked as he elbowed forward after her.

"Memorized the blueprints," Diane replied matter-of-factly. She slowed down momentarily to peek through the shutters of the vent that led into an empty room. "Nothing here," she said as she continued on.

"You really take all of this 'cloak and dagger' stuff seriously, don't you?" he asked, feeling slightly impressed. He stopped to peek into the empty room that Diane had stopped at before continuing.

"You've got to in my line of work," she chuckled ahead of him.

He stopped, and the police officer in him raised a suspicious eyebrow at her. "Which is _what_?"

"Don't worry about that, Detective Summers," she said with a coy tone. "I've never hit your particular district, and our paths have never crossed."

They had never met before tonight, even though Diane was aware of who he was and what he did professionally. But they had become instant friends, despite knowing so little about each other. Only one thing mattered: that they fought to defend each other's lives. Never had Scott Summers killed so many in the last several hours just to survive. He was thankful that Diane was here, and she him.

"Actually," Scott replied with a small laugh as he continued after her, "I'm sort of glad you haven't. Don't think I'd be a match for the likes of you. Or Jubilee and Remy, for that matter."

"They're quite the pair, aren't they?" Diane said fondly. She stopped again to peek into another room. This was the other large room that connected to the garage of the building. It was lined with footlockers, tables, and toolboxes. There was a machine humming in the middle of the wide floor, connected by various wires and contraptions. It was an odd contraption, but she soon forgot about it once she noticed a huddled unmoving form on the ground.

"Remy's in here," she whispered suddenly to Scott behind her. "I think he's alone."

She began to pry the opening off the side of the vent gently. It came off with a small _pop_, and she slid out.

Scott followed suit and replaced the vent opening carefully, keeping it relatively loose in case they needed a quick way out. They ducked behind several metal foot lockers, peering beyond to see if anyone else was around besides Remy.

"Let's go," Diane whispered as they crept their way to where Remy lay.

When she placed a gentle hand on his side, his body twitched defensively.

"Relax," Scott whispered. "It's _us_."

Remy squinted at Diane and Scott, surprised to find them at his side. "How'd you get in?" he asked quietly.

"Same way you guys did," Diane replied with a charming smile, "but without the loud, attention-inducing explosion of mutant powers."

"They really did a number on you," Scott remarked with a wince, eyeing Remy's wounds.

"You're hit," Diane remarked suddenly as she and Scott looked over his wounds. She shook her head as she examined Remy's shoulder.

"I'm fine," he muttered as Diane turned him over to gain access to the binds on his arms. "Stopped bleeding hours ago."

"Where's Jubilee?" Scott asked urgently as he surveyed the empty room for a sign of her.

"De _Petite,_" Remy growled as Diane cut him free from his binds. He sat up and managed to pull off his leg binds without help. "Dey took her – _dat_ way!" He pointed to the door on the south side of the room.

The large metal door on the adjacent side of the room suddenly began to hum as it opened mechanically. Voices could be heard.

"Think we've got some company," Scott said as he pulled Remy to his feet. "Time to take cover!"

The three of them shuffled for safety behind what looked like a large cargo tank. The squad of minions entered the room, carrying on a conversation.

"_-ain't going through the portal right now,"_ one of them was saying as they entered. _"The X-Men are takin' out all our guys on the other side!"_

"_Not like it's better on this side,"_ someone else said. _"Whoever's helpin' that kid is a monster, I tell ya-!" _ He cut himself off, alarmed to find Remy missing. _"Where'd the prisoner go?"_

Without warning, Scott opened fire on the unsuspecting men, dropping the first two in the front. He didn't have time to feel guilty for taking life. Only one thing mattered: survival. Several of the men dropped to their knees and returned fire at Scott. He ducked back down in time.

"I need to get Jub'lee!" Remy cried out urgently at them, above the sound of bullets ricocheting on metal.

Diane shook her head. "You're hurt," she explained. She thrust an M16 into his hands as Scott peeked out from their hiding spot and fired again.

"I can get her-!" Remy began, shaking his head.

"_I'll_ get her," Diane promised firmly with a wink as she cocked a pistol. "You're too slow with your wounds. Cover me."

Remy nodded, knowing she was more capable than he was at the moment. He popped up over the cargo tank next to Scott and provided suppressing fire.

He watched out of the corner of his eye, somewhat reluctantly, as Diane made her way stealthily toward the south door.

**Back office, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:24am**

They had cut her hoodie off of her when she was first brought into the room. Jubilee was now lay shivering on the cold cement in only a t-shirt and battered jeans, slightly traumatized from the shallow, but fresh, cuts that bled from her arms and legs. The two goons had spent the last five minutes teasing her with a pocket knife. She had wrapped her arms around herself protectively when she realized that they were growing bored with their current pastime.

"Let's break her other hand," one of them sneered as he nudged Jubilee over onto her back.

"_No_," the man with the raspy voice interrupted harshly. He flashed an unnerving smile down at Jubilee and said, "I have a better idea."

Jubilee's eyes widened when the man bent down and straddled her roughly, effectively pinning her at the hips. _"No!"_ Jubilee protested when the man wrung her hands above her head. She cried out in pain as the harsh movement set her ribcage on fire.

"_You're sick,"_ the other guy said from somewhere outside of her line of sight. _"She's a mutie! I can't watch this."_

"Then _leave_," her captor ordered as he smiled viciously into Jubilee's tear-brimmed eyes.

At the sound of the door shutting behind him, Jubilee began to panic.

"_Get offa me!"_ she roared at the man who held her down. _"No!"_ She tried to kick him off, but he brought his free hand down to slap her.

Her face stung on impact. Through numbing tears, she began to realize what was going to happen. He managed to unbutton and unzip her pants despite her furious kicking. She fought with all she could, despite her injuries, to free herself from his grasp. But she was too weak, had no access to her powers at the moment, and he was too strong. She felt a rough hand slide up her shirt. He was going to take her, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.

She shut her eyes and clung longingly to the fantasy that Logan would soon rip this man to shreds.

Her desperate screams for help drowned out the sound of the office door reopening.

Two shots rang out suddenly, startling her. She whimpered and kept her eyes shut tightly in fear. The man's weight slid off of her, and she curled instinctively into a fetal position.

She went rigid when someone touched her. Surprisingly warm and gentle hands cupped her face, and when Jubilee blinked, Diane Ling's brown eyes gazed down gently at her.

"D-Diane?" Jubilee choked out confusedly, as Diane brushed away the tears that were now falling freely. Jubilee felt instant relief when she realized that her attacker was now dead. She had a feeling the other man was lying lifeless somewhere outside the door Diane had come from.

Diane smiled reassuringly, shushing Jubilee's small cries. She made sure to maintain eye contact as she proceeded to pull Jubilee's disheveled t-shirt down to cover the teenager's exposed midsection.

"It's okay now, Lee," Diane whispered soothingly, as she rebuttoned Jubilee's undone jeans. Jubilee blinked back embarrassedly, and she tried not to think about at what would have happened if Diane hadn't arrived when she had. The woman pulled her trembling form into a gentle embrace while murmuring, "It's all right, nothing happened. I've got you now."

Diane pulled away to look down into her traumatized blue eyes and said softly, "Let's get you home, shall we?"

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:31am**

They returned to the large room, where Scott and Remy were alone with several bodies. They had apparently overturned tables and footlockers in a defensive position facing the opening that led to the garage. Scott was currently reloading several automatic rifles, with ammo Diane guessed had come from the dead pursuers now at the door.

"_Petite!_" Remy sighed with relief when Diane led their young friend from the south door. There were small cuts up and down Jubilee's arms. He noted worriedly that her hoodie was missing and her pink t-shirt was ruffled haphazardly as though someone had tried to wrestle it off of her.

"M'fine," Jubilee muttered, refusing to meet his eyes when he pulled her close. She winced at his initial touch, the pain roaring in her ribcage. Remy watched carefully as Jubilee settled silently between himself and Scott. He eyed her worriedly when she nestled her face against the side of his torso without a word. He placed a protective arm around her when he felt her trembling.

Scott looked up worriedly from where he perched with his automatic facing the doorway. He, too, noticed Jubilee's disheveled appearance.

Diane gave both men a pointed look and shook her head. "Nothing happened," she explained seriously, not letting them continue the subject with Jubilee in hearing range.

Remy glanced up at Diane, fierce eyes demanding to know what had happened to Jubilee.

Diane shook her head again and gave Remy a look as if to say, 'I got there in time.'

He smiled thankfully at Diane for saving the Jubilee from whatever may have happened, and sighed in relief. He turned and whispered something to Jubilee that Diane could not hear.

"Where's my gun?" Diane asked as she kneeled on the other side of Remy behind their makeshift bunker.

Remy tossed her the automatic she'd lent him; he'd found his own after prying it off of one of the corpses.

"They'll be back with reinforcements," Scott informed Diane promptly. "Remy says we gotta destroy that machine." He gestured toward the humming machine in the center of the room.

"That thing?" Diane asked. She eyed the whirring machine doubtfully. It didn't look like it was easily breakable.

"But not yet," Remy shook his head. "Gotta do it _after _de _Petite_ jumps through the portal. You heard d'ese guys talkin' b'fore we killed 'em. De X-Men are on de other side right _now_!"

Jubilee's grasp on him tightened when she heard him finish his sentence.

"How do we open a portal?" Diane asked.

"We need one o'dem big metal t'ings around d'eir wrists," Remy explained. "Not all of 'em have one."

"And then what?" Scott asked. "How do we know how to work it?"

"We _don't_," Remy said. "We only know we gotta transfer life energy an' d'en activate it on de wrist device somehow."

"Then how do we destroy that – that _machine_?" Diane asked, nodding toward the loud contraption.

"Don't know dat either," Remy replied with a sarcastic smile.

Scott rolled his eyes and started sarcastically, "Well, so long as we have a _solid_ plan-"

He was cut off when something _clunked_ into the room and rolled at the base of their makeshift barrier.

"_INCOMIN_G!" Scott cried out when he realized it was a hand grenade.

Without thinking, Remy had tucked Jubilee under his arms and scrambled frantically away from the grenade.

It went off with a loud blast. He cursed when debris hit him.

He looked down at Jubilee and began prodding her to see if she had been damaged. The blast seemed to immediately draw her out of her reverie. "I'm fine!" she gasped suddenly under his intense gaze. "I'm okay."

Nearby, Diane and Scott immediately began opening fire after they recovered from the blast. Remy looked back and noted with relief that he and Scott had built a pretty solid barrier; it had shielded them from the brunt of the blast. But now there was a gaping hole in their defense line now.

He wondered briefly why these men were crazy enough to throw a grenade near the machine that tied them to their world. He then realized with surprise and worry that the machine, despite being close to the blast, had taken no damage whatsoever and was still humming busily.

They scrambled for safety behind an overturned table. He peered carefully around the table to assess the situation.

And then Remy saw it. A silver wrist device that lay unattended on the ground amidst the battle that was currently taking place. It must have fallen off of one of Sanders' minions, he realized. Now was their chance. All they needed was life energy, and there were plenty of expendable guards available at the moment. They just had to time it correctly.

He grabbed Jubilee's good arm and pointed to the wrist device that lay glinting silver in the light of a small explosion.

"Remy will take someone out so you can open de portal with de device!" he screamed at her above a whirlwind of gunfire.

He took her hand and tried to drag her forward, but he stopped when he realized she had frozen once more. He looked back at her, confused.

Jubilee made no move toward freedom. She kneeled there, looking dumbfounded, as she glanced from the wrist device that lay on the ground to Remy and back again.

"We don't have time for dis, _Petite_!" he said harshly as he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders, frustrated that she was wasting time. He couldn't fathom what had caused her to stop.

His angry eyes glared down into her widened, blue ones, and instantly he recognized fear in her eyes. She had known all along that she was going to bid goodbye to Strange Remy eventually, but she suddenly found that she wasn't ready. The look on her broken face was too much for him to bear. He immediately crushed her to chest in a violent hug, and he felt her sob into his sternum.

"_Please_," he begged more gently as he kissed her roughly on the head. "You _have_ to go."

"_I love you,"_ She mumbled the tearful words into his chest, and in the process nearly tearing his heart in two.

"_Moi aussi, P'tite,"_ he answered back.

He released her, and she looked up at him with a wet face. She sobbed again as he cupped her face to his. He gave her another kiss, this time tenderly, on the forehead. His eyes squeezed shut and he pleaded once once more, "_Go!_"

She finally nodded in his grasp. With one final look into her blue orbs, they took off together into the fight with only one goal in mind: to send Jubilee home.

**Almost Home, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:43am**

The guard lay dead at Jubilee's feet as a prize for Jubilee's freedom. He'd just been killed by Remy, who had been torn away reluctantly to assist Diane.

She picked up the bulky wrist device. It was heavier than she'd remembered from a month ago. She'd seen it in operation several times before; she was sure she could figure out how to work it. Upon closer inspection, she realized it only had one big button.

"_Petite!"_ she heard Remy yell above burst of gunfire. "Go, dammit!"

Jubilee turned momentarily to meet his eyes one last time and nodded solemnly. Reluctantly, she tore her loving gaze away from her friend and to the wrist device once more. She took another deep breath and pressed the large button.

Immediately a hole, black as night, appeared before her in the air.

It scared her, the sight of the pitch black patch, suspended and weightless. A feeling of nothingness seemed to creep out from the hole. Her eyes widened in anticipation, then narrowed in determination to return to Logan's safe arms.

She took another deep breath and braved herself for what came next.

**Almost Home, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:45am**

Remy had been knocked down by another grenade blast and found himself unable to muster the strength to get up quickly enough. His wounded shoulder was throbbing in pain, and he turned to relieve pressure off from it.

His attacker was now charging fiercely toward him with an automatic in hand.

He found that he was not afraid to die now that he had done what he needed to do for Jubilee. His heart did not race, nor did he have regrets to look back on. Diane and Scott would be able to make their way out of the heat now that Jubilee was safe. Remy on the other hand had loved and lived, and that was more than enough for him. He was ready to die. In death, his heaven would be the fact that Jubilee had been returned safely to where she truly belonged.

The assailant was now standing over Remy victoriously, a smirk donned on his greasy features.

Remy shut his eyes in peaceful anticipation, bravely welcoming death.

It didn't come.

Instead, something heavy fell on him. He opened his eyes to find his would-be executioner wide-eyed and bleeding in his lap. The man was already dead.

Remy looked up immediately, expecting to find Diane or Scott.

"_NO!"_ he cried out frantically when he realized who his savior was.

Jubilee hovered above him gasping with sobs, face still stained with tears and blood, and in her good hand a pistol that was now smoking from the shot she had just fired.

He shoved the dead man out of his lap and pulled himself up to his knees before the girl. He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders as she stood before him, still bawling.

"_Petite_!" he cried desperately up at her as he shook her violently. "What de _hell_ 'ave you done? Where's de wrist device?"

She didn't seem to hear him. "I _killed_ him-!" she screamed frantically.

"But _why_?" Remy demanded again. "Why didn't you leave?"

She sobbed again, this time collapsing into his arms as she shrieked, "I-I turned to say g'bye, an' th-they were gonna _kill_ you!"

He was furious, but hugged her tightly in his arms and demanded again, "Where's de wrist device?"

She sobbed and didn't answer, instead shaking her head miserably.

Remy glanced behind her and saw it – broken on the ground from the explosion. He swore.

"C'mon," he said. "We gotta find another one!"

"_MOVE!_" Scott roared behind them as he opened suppressing fire when a new wave of adversaries entered.

Remy half dragged Jubilee behind their wall of lockers.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 1:51am**

Jubilee and Remy were now separated, forced to opposite sides of the room by debris crashing over their defense line. Jubilee found herself defenseless except for Diane, who kneeled protectively above her, reloading her weapon.

She squinted across the room to the other side of their broken defense line and could see that men were closing in on Scott and Remy. Things weren't looking good.

Unexpectedly, the firing stopped. Jubilee looked up at Diane in confusion.

"You'll lose!" she heard Sanders' voice call suddenly. "I've got you beat, child, don't you damn well see it?"

When had Sanders returned to the fight? Jubilee wasn't sure.

"There's always a way!" Jubilee roared back over the footlockers, clinging desperately to Gambit's lost words. She peered over the lockers, eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. Several men were down on one knee, some with guns pointed toward Remy and Scott's corner, and others at Jubilee and Diane's. Jubilee's breath hitched at the sight.

Diane nudged her and whispered, "Don't do anything stupid!"

Jubilee muttered under her breath, "You know me."

"Exactly," Diane whispered urgently.

"You'll condemn your accomplices to death!" Sanders continued. "I _built_ that machine with my own two hands! Do you really think that pathetic lowlife Lebeau will be able to destroy it after you've gone through?"

She hesitated and examined the machine that lay among the wreckage of the large room, still fully functional and blatantly untouched by the explosives that had gone off near it.

"You're stuck here, child!" He bellowed. "Admit it! If you go through the portal, you condemn your accomplices here to death! The only people formidable enough to destroy my invention are the X-Men, and though you have the power none of you will even dare! If you destroy that machine, you will _never_ find your way home!"

"He's right," Jubilee said to herself quietly, feeling her plasma dwelling suddenly powerfully beneath her skin at the thought. "No one but an X-Man could destroy it."

"I know what you're thinkin', Lee," Diane said sharply to her. "It's a bad idea. You'll be stuck here!"

"He won't kill _me_, but he'll kill _you guys_!" Jubilee said angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. "It's what I taught to do, I can't do anything but what needs to be done!"

"No!" Diane whispered frantically to the girl. "After all Remy went through for you? It will all have been in vain if you don't go through that goddamn portal!"

"But I have Sanders beat, Diane!" Jubilee exclaimed quietly, voice now trembling at what was to be done. "He thinks he's won; he thinks I won't do it!

"You won't do it!" Sanders' voice boomed once more.

Jubilee threw Diane an 'I-told-you-so' look through tears. "You need to duck very soon," she murmured.

"You won't do it, child! And you _can't!_" Sanders declared triumphantly.

If Doctor Sanders had actually truly understood all that is Jubilation Lee, he would've known that to question her nerve was a bad idea.

"Come out of your hiding place, and I will decline to have your friends killed!" Sanders demanded confidently.

Jubilee stood slowly and had to shake Diane off with a small burst of plasma. "Don't, Jubilee!" Remy cried out from the other side of the room.

She broke free from the defense barrier. And instead of surrendering, she charged toward the machine.

The anger bubbled inside of Jubilee until it was overflowing. With only her good hand, the same one she had used when she had first taken another life, she mustered every bit of hate the cruel world had ever thrust upon her. Her body crackled with life. If she wanted to guarantee that this psychotic man could never harm anyone again, she had to disable the machine from _this_ world. She knew Sanders would never stop as long as he was alive. With angry tears at what she was about to do, she met his glare and placed her right hand on the side of the machine.

"You can't," Sanders challenged, his hard face suddenly second guessing his own prediction. "You aren't powerful enough, _and _you're out of energy! That machine is near indestructible! I made it myself! And you haven't got any plasma left in you!"

"Is that so?" Jubilee asked sadly as tears fell. Her hand emitted a visible _spark_ against the machine.

Doctor Sanders narrowed his eyes at the flare of her hand while Remy demanded from behind her, "_Petite_, what de _hell_ are you doing? You won't be able to go back-!"

Jubilee ignored him, pouring every ounce of pain and anger she had endured for the past month into the plasma that began to sizzle hot against the machine. She had once before blown up a city block, and she knew that she just needed to harness her growing powers to concentrate the energy on destroying this life-ruining contraption. Somehow the plasma was able to penetrate the nearly indestructible metal and began to seep into it. She increased the density of the plasma, and it evolved into a deafening and blinding formation.

Around them, Doctor Sanders' minions made a run for it, scrambling hastily for the exit. Apparently, no one wanted to be near any of her explosions. Only Sanders remained.

She knew it had worked when the machine itself had begun to burn, short-circuiting itself as it smoked.

"No!" Doctor Sanders cried as he realized Jubilee was actually capable of destroying his invention. He'd underestimated her. Too old to physically stop her, he lifted a shaky hand and pointed his pistol at her face. But the machine had crackled and startled him, causing him to fall.

The large machine had ignited in fire, but hadn't yet exploded.

While her own plasma could do no harm to her, an explosion of the machine could. She felt the heat radiating off of the machine and tried to move away. She found she couldn't move.

Whether for fear or weakness, she was going to die from an explosion that she had caused.

Scott suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Without a word, he slid one arm underneath her knees and the other under her back and lifted her. Soon he was sprinting with Jubilee in his grasp toward the exit, Remy and Diane following him.

They didn't make it in time.

The explosion went off, sending them all sprawling down.

**Remy Lebeau, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 13****th****, 2:05am**

He'd been the closest to the explosion. It knocked him to the ground. He struggled to get up, loud ringing roaring into his ears and pounding his head. Dazed, he looked around to see what had happened.

The large room was smoking, and there were several sparks being emitted from where the machine lay – still functioning just barely. He realized Jubilee had not destroyed it completely. His eyes darted around desperately for his friends. He found them. Scott had dropped Jubilee in the chaos, and she landed near where Diane had been thrown by the explosion.

The horror of what happened next was a memory that would haunt Remy for the rest of his life.

He watched numbly Doctor Sanders caught his eye, looking like quite like a bloody zombie. Remy wondered how he was able to miraculously stand, clearly terminally wounded and without his cane. The old man raised his hand and pointed his pistol at Jubilee again, who still lay sprawled face down on the ground.

It happened in an instant.

Still deaf from the explosion, Remy didn't even hear the shot ring out.

From across the room he saw Diane's blurred form launch forward and willingly take the bullet that was meant for their young friend. She lurched forward awkwardly, silky black hair flying forward momentarily covering her face. Her hands went to her stomach, where blood was now flowing freely. She looked up, still standing and hands trembling. She met Remy's eyes for the very last time. Holding his breath, Remy refused to believe what he had just seen.

Scott Summers suddenly blocked Remy's view of Diane, knocking Doctor Sanders down. A burst of fire from the cataclysmic fire temporarily blinded Remy, but when his vision returned he saw that Scott and Doctor Sanders had fallen to the ground. Jubilee had managed to stagger up and ran toward the burning machine; he was vaguely aware that she intended to finish it off for good.

Behind them, Remy realized that Diane was no longer standing.

His heart stopped.

His lips parted and he made a sound, his hearing beginning to come back. He wasn't sure what it was he'd said, but he stumbled his way across the room to Diane's body. Her eyes were still open, beautiful brown orbs now glassy and distant. A faint line of blood dripped down from her lips, and he cradled her head into his now crimson-soaked hands. He knew it was futile, but he felt clumsily for a pulse. He knew the answer before he'd ever have to ask.

Diane Ling was dead.

**Jubilation Lee, Oblivion Fuel HQ  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 2:12am**

In a matter of seconds, it was over. She was too far to place her hand on it this time for a close-range attack. She thrust her right hand out to finish the job and a steady stream of hot plasma annihilated the machine. She blinked as the second small explosion had done exactly as she'd intended. She was knocked back to the ground. She shut her eyes as a gush of hot air from the explosion waved over her.

As the power source of all the portable transporters on this side of the universe, it was the only existing doorway to get back to her world.

And she had willingly destroyed it.

She had not seen it, but Diane had died as Jubilee finished off the machine she hated so much. She achingly climbed to her feet to find Remy cradling Diane's lifeless body.

Jubilee's mouth parted slightly in shock. Her fingers and toes began to tingle, and she wasn't sure why. She knew she was supposed to feel _something_. Pain, fear, perhaps even guilt. But none of it came to her.

She could only comprehend four facts. She had turned Strange Scott's life upside down. Diane was now dead because of her. And because of it, Strange Remy lost the love of his life. And Jubilee had destroyed the only gateway that would lead her back into Logan's loving arms.

This was no one's fault but her own, she realized.

She had given up her freedom to stop a murderous multi-world trafficking ring. Numbly, she turned away from Remy and his love, watching as the fire of the destroyed diabolical machine began to spread rapidly, triggering a chain reaction. She stared in numb awe, unable to comprehend that she would certainly die if she remained there.

She hadn't noticed Scott Summers screaming at her to move. Nor did she register that Remy had abandoned Diane's lifeless body and hefted Jubilee over his unwounded shoulder to make a run for it.

She felt no pain in her ribs as her body bounced up and down in Remy's arms while he fled from the flames. She wasn't sure where Remy was taking her, and for some reason she couldn't find the will to care. Her head bobbed uselessly as he and Scott fought for a way out of the uncontrollable blaze that was now engulfing the building. Into one room and out another, she cared not.

Somewhere nearby glass shattered, and she found herself being heaved through a window into Scott's arms. Soon though, after catching a whiff of fresh air, she was nestled back into Remy's arms.

As the trio made a mad dash away from the horrible ordeal that had gone on tonight, her eyes remained glued to the factory of the fuel company that had ripped her life away from her.

**Oblivion Fuel HQ Boundaries  
Tuesday, May 3****rd****, 2:24am**

"_Petite_," Remy was saying as he finally set her down. He took her chin in his hands and forced her to meet his eyes. She blinked as he captured her attention.

She didn't respond, but complied. Her eyes drifted blankly towards the fire once again, now the source of an unmistakable stench of burning flesh.

"_Why?" _he demanded harshly. He shook her by the shoulders. "_Petite_, why didn't you go home when I told you to?"

She didn't seem to hear him.

"Why?" he asked again. "You ain't safe in dis world! Dey'll find out what you are an' take you away an' _hurt_ you!"

"Stop!" Scott yelled, wrestling Remy's arms off the girl.

When she seemed unable to react to either of them, Remy knew something was wrong. His anger and frustration disappeared immediately. "What's wrong wit' her?" Remy asked worriedly as he felt her forehead.

"She's in shock," Scott realized as he cupped her pale face. She didn't react to his touch, her eyes still glued to the fire. "Where's my suit jacket?" he asked suddenly. "She was wearing it when you guys went into the building!"

"Somewhere in de fire," Remy said as he took Jubilee by the shoulders. "_Petite_, look at me!"

She blinked as his face came into view, but her eyes remained glazed and unfocused.

Scott began to hastily remove his collared shirt and placed it on her shoulders, leaving him with only a battered and blood-stained undershirt. They hastily tucked her arms into the sleeves. Her eyebrows furrowed suddenly as she started to become aware of her surroundings.

"Get her out of here," Scott pleaded desperately to Remy as he began to button the oversized shirt on Jubilee. "They're going to deploy the military to investigate what happened. _I'm_ supposed to be here, but neither are you two were ever supposed to set foot here – _especially Jubilee! – _and I don't want the government getting their hands on her-"

"_Oui_," Remy interrupted, agreeing. He didn't want to think about what would happen if she fell into the wrong hands – especially now that she was stuck in this non-mutant world. Diane had died to save the young girl that was now his permanent responsibility, and he would not let Diane's death be in vain.

Jubilee frowned, coming out of her shock as Scott finished buttoning her up. She had just caught on to what Scott was saying. She shook her head, disliking the idea of leaving anyone behind especially after losing Diane in the firefight.

"Scott?" she mumbled meekly.

Scott looked down into her face, relieved that she was making eye contact with him. He saw the worry in her eyes.

"Go, Jubilee," he said in a very Cyclops-y manner. He placed a hand on her shoulder as she continued to stare up at him. "You know where I live right?" he asked, remembering that she had left a note for the Summers family in their mailbox at one point.

Jubilee nodded ever so slightly.

"_Go_," he repeated with authoritative finality. "And don't ever contact me again unless it's an emergency."

She knew, despite the harsh tone of his voice that he meant it out of love. Without a word, she pressed herself against his chest, ignoring the pain that was tearing at her ribcage – for the pain in her heart caused her much more agony.

Scott Summers returned the hug with a deep, regretful sigh.

It was beginning to rain now.

Remy tugged on Jubilee's arm silently and gently urged her to hurry.

Jubilee let go of Scott, feeling lightheaded. How many more people would she have to bid goodbye in her life? She was beginning to lose count. Her parents, the X-Men, Generation X, Wolvie, Diane… and now Strange Scott Summers.

Jubilee swayed numbly as Remy took her by the good hand and pulled her away from Scott, away from Oblivion Fuel, away from the outskirts of Rochester, New York. Away from what was now the permanently erased doorway to the only world where she truly belonged.

It was pouring hard now, and the rain began to wash away the blood and sweat on her body. Jubilee wondered briefly whether this was God's way of crying.

She stumbled in Remy's footsteps as Scott disappeared into the distance, trying desperately to keep up. He kept his hand firmly in hers, as though he never intended to let her go. And for that, she was grateful.

In the darkness of the night, Remy seemed to her an angel. He had taken her in and cared for her, despite all of the trouble she had caused him. He'd watched the love of his life die in the process of trying to bring her home. What had she done to deserve a friendship so unconditional? Nothing. And yet, here he was. She wondered briefly what role he would now play in her life. He was nothing like a father, and now far closer than a brother, two things of which she had no need for. They were an unlikely pair – a grown man and a teenage girl, neither lovers nor kin, but bound by a friendship that even worlds could not separate.

The numbness was beginning to take over; she was incredibly exhausted.

It occurred to her just before she passed out in his arms that she was, in fact, quite lucky to never have to say goodbye to the very Strange Remy Lebeau.


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: I would like to thank all my loyal readers and reviewers who were willing to witness the entirety of this beautiful friendship. If there was ever a time to leave a review, this is the chapter to do it. I would truly appreciate hearing what people think of this storyline. Love it or hate it, say what you wish. This series may continue eventually after a brief epilogue and another story I'm currently conjuring up. In the meantime, however, I fear I must end the current saga of Jubilation Lee and Strange Remy Lebeau.

**A Couple Months Later  
St. Mary's Church Graveyard in Alberta, Canada  
Friday, July 4****th****, 15:36 pm**

Today, on an overcast July afternoon in Alberta, Canada, Strange Remy Lebeau sighed as he watched his young companion kneel before the gravestone, her shoulders sagging as she read the words over and over.

_James Howlett  
January 12__th__, 1892 – May 22__nd__, 1986  
Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather  
& Loyal Friend_

He watched as she traced her delicate fingers over the word "Father". She had been so insistent on finding out whether the man she had come to love was still alive in this world. It was possible, Remy had admitted, but highly unlikely. All she knew of his identity before he was an X-Man was a name; she wasn't even really sure where or when he was born. But after pulling a lot of strings and doing _even more_ research, they'd found him here – already dead.

It was now more than two months since their encounter in Rochester, New York involving a multi-universe trafficking ring. Their wounds had healed – mostly. Remy's shoulder was still recovering from the bullet that had blown through it. Jubilee's wounds, however, no longer involved the physical world. Stuck in a world she wasn't born into, she struggled with adjusting in her new home.

Remy had apologized to her when they'd found out about Strange James Howlett's death, but she'd been so stubborn. He knew she was hoping that he really was still alive; she'd wanted to meet him. She was fishing through this world for a past that she could call her own, and Remy could see clearly that it was slowly killing her.

"You think he was happy?" she asked Remy suddenly, referring to the man in the grave.

Remy took a long drag of his cigarette and read over the gravestone. "Don' know," he replied honestly.

"Well, I think he _was_." Her tone was matter-of-fact.

"What make you t'ink dat?" he asked as he took another puff.

She placed a small loving hand on the stone again. "Look," she said simply, gesturing to the engraved words describing a man who was clearly adored in life _and_ death.

"_Oui_," Remy agreed after consideration.

She pressed her forehead against his gravestone gently, whispering soft and loving words to the man named James Howlett, words that Remy was unable to hear. She threw her head back towards the heavens with her eyes closed and gave a great sigh.

Slowly, she turned to face Remy with a sad, yet peaceful look.

"I'm ready to go now," she said.

"A'right," Remy said, putting his cigarette out as Jubilee stood up. "Happy Birthday, _Petite_."

She smiled genuinely at him. "Maybe you can teach me to drive now?" she asked impishly.

"What?" Remy frowned at her. "_Petite_ can fly a jet, but can't drive a car?"

"Not a _stick shift_," Jubilee exclaimed seriously.

She smiled again when he put his arm around the now sixteen-year-old girl, and they walked away from James Howlett's grave together.

She didn't look back.

**The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee  
Boston, Massachusetts  
Tuesday, July 15****th****, 8:23pm**

They were having a movie marathon. The night was quiet, as it usually was these days, and ruined once Jubilee opened her big mouth, as it usually happened.

"How come you don't sleep around anymore?" Jubilee asked suddenly, interrupting Will Smith's quip about an invading space alien.

Remy was startled. "What kinda question is _dat_?" Remy asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"You know what I mean," she said seriously to him. "You used to all the time. It's 'cause of Diane, right?"

Remy sighed. If anyone else were to ask that question, he'd have brushed them off. But this was Jubilee, and she had done nothing to make him turn her away at such an intimate question. "It's hard to explain," he began as he sighed.

When she didn't say anything, he realized she was waiting for him to continue.

"She was de last person Remy slept wit'," he admitted, keeping his eyes on the television.

"I know," she said softly, watching him carefully.

"I t'ink I don' do it anymore, because in a way Remy knew dat eventually, she'd be de _last_ an' _only_ lady he would sleep wit." He paused, reflecting on his time with the lovely woman who had died two months ago. "Just didn't t'ink it would be so soon."

"Oh," Jubilee nodded understandingly; he had wanted to grow old with Diane.

He knew Jubilee blamed herself for Diane's death, and Remy never told her the exact circumstances of the occurrence. Jubilee had been dazed when it happened, and Remy had no intention of ever telling her that Diane had taken a bullet for the girl. After all, she had enough on her shoulders to begin with.

"_Petite _shouldn't be asking these types of questions anyway," he said with a smile, intentionally changing the subject. "You just a kid."

She scoffed. "When have _I_ ever been _just a kid_?" she asked amusedly with a laugh. "I may have _many_ kid qualities. But between living on the streets, flying jets, fighting bad guys, _and_ saving not _one, _but _two_ worlds, there was never any _time_ to be a _just a_ _kid_."

"Touché," Remy replied, somewhat sadly. "You've never been a kid."

She caught the tone in his voice and her voice softened. "It's okay," she said. "I don't regret my life."

"Well," Remy continued, "what if Remy could give you de chance to be a kid?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well you stuck here now wit 'Strange Remy'. You know, mebbe you wanna go to school? Make friends? Get grounded?"

Jubilee smiled a little wryly. "I've _been_ to school, and I _had_ friends. And believe me, _no one_ has been grounded more times than I have. Been there, done that, and not interested. And anyway, the only friend I want is _you_."

"_Non_," he said seriously. "No. You went to _superhero_ school. You had _Superhero_ friends, an' were _superhero_ grounded."

She laughed. "Superhero grounded? And what exactly does a _normal_ grounded entail?"

"Normal groundin' means no savin' de world when you bein' punished. No exceptions. Even when de world is on fire an' Hitler come back to life." She raised an eyebrow at him as he kept speaking. "No nuclear physics, no Danger Room. Just sports an' homework an' friends for de _Petite_."

"That sounds _weird_," she said. "Why can't I be a thief, like you, and join the business? I'm the best at what I do-"

"_Non_," Remy said sternly, interrupting her. "You don' want dat life."

"Maybe not," Jubilee admitted. She stared at him, as though thinking really hard. "But after everything that's happened, I can't ever go back to being what I was before my parents died. And you know that."

It was Remy's turn to sigh. She truly didn't belong here. He didn't have to respond to confirm what she'd just said.

"We're the perfect team," Jubilee continued when Remy didn't say anything. "I bet we could make a lotta bucks."

"Money ain't ever'thin', _Petite_," Remy said when he realized she was serious.

"I know that," she replied as she rolled her eyes. "We could be like Robin and Little John, and be local super heroes and fight bank robbers or bad guys!"

"Remy'll never be able to kick the fight outta you, eh?" he asked with a small smile, a little sad that she could never live a normal life.

"You haven't got a chance," she declared with a menacing smile. "We'd be awesome!"

"Remy will t'ink about it, okay?" he said, unwilling to admit that the superhero gene was contagious. He pulled out a cigarette and said, "Now c'mere, an' gimme a light."

"You _just_ finished smoking one, dude," she said as she rolled her eyes again, Nevertheless, she complied and raised her hand up and snapped her fingers to light his bud.

Suddenly, her hand seemed to explode in front of Remy's face.

"_HOLY_-!" Jubilee screamed and the plasma puffed out of her control for just a brief second before it died away. "_Oh,_ _my GOD!_" she cried out, staring at her hand for a few seconds.

She began to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of Remy's bewildered expression.

"What de _hell_ just happened?" he asked her.

She couldn't stop laughing. "Your – face!" she managed to gasp between fits of giggles.

His face was red; she'd burned his eyebrows off.

**The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee  
Boston, Massachusetts  
Monday, July 28****th****, 2:22am**

Her frantic scream woke him in the middle of the night.

He sat up, heart beating fast. He bolted out of bed and through his already-open door to her bedroom. He'd recently taken to keeping both their doors open at night since she'd begun having nightmares a month ago.

When he arrived at her bedside, he realized she'd burnt through another set of sheets.

"_P'tite_," he said softly, placing a hand on her sweating forehead. She thrashed at his touch, instinctively conjuring up a small _paff_. He ignored the burning pain as the plasma disappeared and pulled her into a hug. "It's Remy, _Petite._"

"Rem?" she gasped.

She trembled in his grasp, and immediately he knew this wasn't a normal nightmare. She was burning up terribly.

"Don't feel good," she mumbled softly.

He felt her forehead and swore. "T'ink you may be sick, _Petite_. It's a'ight, Remy'll take care of you.

**The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee  
Boston, Massachusetts  
Wednesday, July 30****th****, 6:08pm**

Her fever still hadn't come down. He wasn't sure what was ailing her. She showed no symptoms of a regular illness. No phlegm, mucus, coughs, or sneezing. Just a high temperature and serious lethargy. She spent hours in bed, and had little energy. She didn't even pick fights with him anymore. He was at a loss. Currently, he sat haphazardly at their dining room among a mess of papers and textbooks, flipping pages and reading meticulously.

He'd been sifting through several medical books he'd borrowed from the local library. He looked for any reason as to why she was so sick so suddenly. He couldn't find anything that matched her symptoms – or lack thereof. He was beginning to realize that whatever was wrong with her was something that was unknown to this world. Her powers had been acting up recently. Numerous unintentional bursts had destroyed many of the appliances in their home. Even she had admitted that her powers started behaving violently since just before she'd arrived in his world. He'd had to replace the second television, a casualty from yesterday's attempt to draw her out of her room for a bit.

He just wasn't sure where to turn to in this world; he couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't be afraid of her or turn her in to authorities.

He looked up when he heard her footsteps tap softly down the hall. He smiled when she peeked into the dining room.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked drowsily. Still clad in pajamas for the past two days, her silky hair was disheveled and there were marks on her face from where she was pressed against the new sheets of her bed.

"Just some research," he replied casually, closing the diagnostic textbook before him so she wouldn't see. "You feelin' better?"

"I guess," she replied, though she didn't look it. She rubbed her eyes. "Jus' hungry."

He took that as a good sign since he'd had to force feed her in the past twenty-four hours. "Want Remy to heat up some Cajun cookin'?" he offered.

"Naw," she smiled. "I just want somethin' light."

"Let ol' Remy know if you change your mind," he smiled.

"You'd just burn it," her voice called over her shoulder as she disappeared for the kitchen.

"Lil punk," Remy muttered under his breath, even though he wasn't angry. It was the first sign of spunk he'd seen out of her in the past couple days.

He opened his textbook again and flipped back to the page he was on, trying to find where he left off. Just as he found it, there was a loud _popping_ and a crash from the kitchen. He knew that sound, it meant her plasma had blown something up again. He got up and rushed to the kitchen, expecting to find her arms crossed and angry at a toaster.

"_Petite_-," he began before his surprise cut him off. "_Merde!_"

What he found was Jubilee unconscious and face-down on the ground. He was right about the toaster, however. It was a heap of melted metal on the counter. He bent down and brushed Jubilee's cheek to rouse her, but she didn't wake.

"_Jubilee!_" he demanded as he flipped her over onto her back. Her skin was hot to touch, and he realized she was breathing too rapidly.

He needed to find help fast.

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
****Wednesday, July 30****th****, 10:28pm**

Jean Summers had been a little too involved in the novel she was currently working on. She was curled up in the den of their home. Her son, six-year-old Nathan, was up far past his bedtime, taking advantage of her miniscule attention span and watching late night comedy shows.

It had been a long day for all three Summers'. Scott was still trying to wrap up what had happened in Rochester a few months ago, and Jean had just been promoted to a higher position in the hospital. It meant more night shifts, but it also meant that someone would be home with Nathan more hours in a day. Tonight, however, she was off and enjoying the company of her son and this new romance novel as they waited for Scott's homecoming from a day of work.

She spared a quick glance away from her novel to see that it was about 10:30 at night, and that meant Scott would be home within the next hour if work permitted. She would at least let Nathan stay up until then. After all, it was his summer holiday and he had no school to look forward to in the morning.

The doorbell rang suddenly, startling her from her novel. She frowned. Scott liked to ring the doorbell to get Nathan to open the front door for him. But he didn't normally do so this late at night.

Nathan had bolted from his comfortable spot on the floor and sprang to the window to see who it was.

"_Mom!"_ Nathan called out frantically. "There's a girl out there! I think she's hurt!"

She dropped her book at the nature of his tone and jogged to the front door. She threw the door open worriedly, not expecting a man with the hurt girl.

She gasped at the sight of the man's dreaded expression. In his arms, he held a girl tightly, as though his life depended on her. "Please!" he begged her as he showed her limp girl in his arms. "Help her!"

"Who are…" she trailed off as she recognized the Asian face of the sleeping girl in his arms. She brought a hand to her mouth in shock and worry. "Oh, my – _Jubilee_!"

"_S'il vous plait…_" the man whispered, barely audible.

Hurriedly, she ushered the man in and led him to the living room where he placed her on the couch. Nathan had trotted behind them closely, frightened and confused.

"What's wrong with her?" Jean asked the man as she pressed the back of her hand on her forehead. She was burning. She pulled back an eyelid and gasped when she saw that Jubilee's eyes were blazing, as though blue flames were licking her pupils. She placed a hand on the girls cheek and whispered, "Come on, baby, you there?"

"She won't wake," the man shook his head, his voice shaking. "_Petite's _been sick... for days!"

"Nathan," Jean said, without looking at her son, "Go get mommy's emergency kit in the hall closet, okay?"

The little boy nodded without a word and sprinted out of the room as fast as his little legs could carry him.

"Please!" the man said again as his brown eyes bore into hers with desperation. "Do somet'ing! Help her!"

Jean nodded. She recognized who this man was now even though she had never met him: Remy Lebeau, the man who had fought by her husband's side in defense of Jubilee.

She reached instantly for the portable telephone on the end table and dialed frantically as she felt for Jubilee's pulse. Nathan arrived promptly, towing her medical kit. After several long moments, Scott Summers finally picked up the phone on the other line. "Scott!" she said frantically into the portable, "You need to come home _right now_!"

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
****Saturday, August 2****nd****, 9:13am**

"How she doin'?" Remy asked Jean. He was leaning against the door frame of the Summers' guest bedroom. Jean was looking over Jubilee meticulously. It had been several days since he'd brought Jubilee to her.

"She's slipping in and out of consciousness," Jean replied. "She keeps asking for you and someone named… it sounds like, 'Wolvie'. Her fever keeps spiking up. I've been trying to bring it down, but it's out of my control now. Nothing I've tried has brought it down."

"You a _doctor_, ain't you?" he pleaded desperately. "Can't you-"

"Unfortunately," Jean interrupted softly, "I can't. The changes her body is going through are above and beyond my understanding or even anyone else in this _world_. She needs a doctor who is actually familiar with these types of mutations – someone from _her_ world. I _can't _and _don't _understand entirely what's going on with her. All I can conclude is that her body needs to survive the growth of her powers. If not…" She trailed off, loosing eye contact with Remy.

Remy nodded grimly, comprehending. "You t'ink she got a chance to make it?"

Jean shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She rose from Jubilee's bedside and brushed past Remy. "It doesn't look good, Remy."

Remy took Jean's hand as she passed him and kissed it. "_Merci beaucoup_," he said gently.

She could only smile sadly at him as she left him alone with the young girl.

Remy sat down in the chair next to Jubilee's bed and sighed wearily. He was going to lose the only other person in his life he truly loved next to Diane, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He pressed his forehead down against her bed and inhaled her scent. For the first time in his life, he prayed to God. He didn't know which God he was praying to – the God who created _this _world, or the God who created Jubilee.

He felt a gentle hand touch his arm. Startled, he looked up and found Jubilee watching him. Despite the pain of the situation, the sight of her made him smile.

"Remy?" Jubilee's voice sounded weak. Her eyes fluttered open and closed a few times before she met his eyes once more.

"I'm here, _Petite_," he said as he placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down to hear her. "Didn't see you woke up."

They stared at each other in understanding silence for several long seconds.

"I'm dying, ain't I?" she asked softly.

Remy wasn't comforted by the fact that her voice sounded too calm, as though she were more than willing to accept her fate than he was.

"_Non, ma Petite_," he smiled reassuringly at her. "You gonna be just fine. Before you know it, we gonna be bustin' bad guys again."

The corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smile. "Liar," she accused.

He rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed by her accuracy. He climbed onto the bed and lay down above her covers, pulling her head into the nook of his arm.

"I know I don't belong here in this world," she whispered into his chest, "But I'm _so _glad I met you."

She sighed heavily, tiredly. In a few moments she fell asleep again, this time in his arms.

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
****Saturday, August 2****nd****, 4:16pm**

"_Remy." _

Diane was calling him, in a dream.

The voice was comforting. She was here now in the room with Remy and Jubilee. He could smell her. Still half asleep, he held onto the comforting feeling of Diane Ling's presence. Something inside of him told him not to worry, that everything would turn out all right as long as Diane was there. Jubilee would not die, and Remy would not be left behind.

The vibration of his cell phone startled him awake.

When he opened his eyes, Diane was gone – along with the feeling of tranquility.

He sighed in frustration as he looked down at Jubilee, still asleep in his arms. Still _dying_. He swore and wished he could've held onto the dream of Diane.

The phone vibrated again.

Tiredly, he held it to his ear and growled quietly, "Whoever dis is, it ain't a good time."

"_Mr. Lebeau?" _a timid voice asked on the phone.

Remy thought the voice sounded familiar, but couldn't remember why. "I _said_, punk, dat it ain't a good-"

"_Please, sir," _the voice interrupted. _"I'm just a messenger."_

Suddenly, Remy realized where he'd heard the voice before. This was the same person who had first alerted him to Jubilee's presence in this world. He heard the same voice on the same day that he had met the girl who was now dying in his arms.

Remy's tone changed immediately, his voice shaking, "What is it dat you want?"

"_You see, sir," _the man continued. _"There's a man running up and down the bars of New York lookin' for you… He's caused quite a ruckus, lemme tell ya. Started several fights and demolished the ol' Irish Pub-"_

"What's he look like?" Remy asked suddenly.

"_Not very tall, but muscular. Guy's on steroids or something. Black hair and he calls himself-"_

"-Wolverine," Remy cut him off, his stomach clenching.

"_Yeah, how'd you know?"_ the messenger asked, clearly surprised.

"Messengers ain't s'posed to ask questions, _homme. _Don't worry about dis guy anymore. I'll take care of it."

Without waiting for an answer, Remy hung up on him. He carefully slid Jubilee, who had not stirred, out of his arms and tucked her back under the covers.

"_Petite_," he said as he brushed a strand of hair away from her sleeping face. "D'ere may be some hope for you yet."

**A Shady Pub  
New York City, New York  
****Saturday, August 2****nd****, 9:45pm**

Remy Lebeau tracked down this man with no problems. Like father, like daughter: both mutants causing a heap of ruckus just to get his attention. It was incredibly annoying, yet faintly uplifting given the circumstances.

"Logan," he greeted curtly when he finally cornered the feral man in a shady bar.

They sized each other up momentarily, each knowing precisely why the other was there.

"What took you so long?" Remy asked coldly as he approached the man who was no doubt the Wolverine that Jubilee held in such high regard.

Each man seemed oblivious to the fact that they had an audience in the bar.

"_Where is she?_" came Logan's harsh reply. A distinct _snikt!_ sound was made as the Wolverine unsheathed his claws.

Remy ignored his blatant threat as several of their audience members screamed and scrambled desperately out of the bar.

"I _said,_" Remy repeated gruffly, not caring if he pissed off potentially the most dangerous man on earth, "what took you so _fuckin'_ long?"

Logan narrowed his eyes at him but did not say anything more.

"De _Petite_ waited _forever_ for you!" Remy roared, advancing on the burly man, who stood there and took it. "She cried nearly _every night_ you weren't d'ere after it happened! An' she asked Remy why t'ings gotta be how dey are! And Remy never know what to say to her! How do you comfort someone who has not an ounce of hope? What you tell a lil' girl who lost _everyt'ing?_"

The Wolverine didn't retreat from Remy's advances, his feral face still hardened as ever. He was breathing rather heavily. And even though Logan did not show it, Remy knew the man before him carried the weight of enormous guilt. Remy couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at the fact that he wasn't the only one who blamed himself. Maybe they could share the guilt.

Logan sheathed his claws slowly. "Where is she?" he repeated, this time pleadingly.

Suddenly Remy no longer felt anger toward the man before him. He didn't respond the question and gestured for Logan to follow him out.

They began to walk down the street side-by-side, as though two long-time friends who had just reconnected.

"How is it dat you're here?" Remy asked softly as they made their way, recalling the night long ago. "I was d'ere when Jub'lee destroyed de machine. How'd you open a portal?"

"It took a long damn time," Logan said tiredly, "but several o' our scientists were able to open a portal using the memory fragments from the one she fell through."

"How exactly is dat possible?" Remy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't ask me," Logan said gruffly, "I ain't ever been good at that alternate universe thing. All I know is it worked, and Hank made it so we don't gotta take life energy, or kill, anymore to open up another portal to take her home." He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a metal wrist device – the type Remy had not seen for months. "We just gotta do it where she first fell from."

Remy stopped in his tracks, causing Logan to stop as well.

"Well, you migh' be too late, _Mon Amie_," Remy said gravely as his shoulders sagged.

He shook his head and watched as Logan tensed at his words. "What do you mean?" Logan asked gruffly.

"De _Petite_ is sick," Remy simply.

**Summers Household, Manhattan, NY  
****Saturday, August 2****nd****, 11:00pm**

"Who's this?" Scott asked worriedly as Remy led the stranger into his house and introduced him.

Logan paused where he stood with the two men in the living room of the Summers residence, his stomach tightening. He could smell Jubilee; she was near.

"He's come to take her home," Remy replied seriously.

Scott's eyes flared suspiciously until Remy put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, _Ami_," he said. "He's her father."

"You're her 'Wolvie'," Jean's calm voice spoke up from behind them. She had appeared at the doorway of the living room, holding a slumbering Nathan in her arms.

Logan looked at her awkwardly, and his eyes traveled to the boy in her arms. "Yes, Ma'am," he finally answered, unsure of what to make of the view.

"You can save her?" Scott asked worriedly.

The question seemed to strike Logan in the heart. "I aim to try," he said quietly.

"Come on," Jean said as she put Nathan down on the couch. "We'll take you to see her."

She led the three men up the staircase and down the hallway to the Scotts' guest room.

"She won't wake much anymore," Remy said as he ran a hand through his hair tiredly once they reached the hallway.

They passed through the doorway into the room and Remy let Logan pass him.

Logan approached the girl cautiously on the bed, leaning down to get a closer look at her.

"Hey, Darlin'," Logan said in a tone he hadn't used with Summers or Remy. Remy had a feeling he had only ever spoken like this to Jubilee. His voice was no longer rough or demanding; it was pained and soft.

Logan placed a hand on her head, temporarily removing the cold washcloth which lay there, feeling the burning of her forehead. He continued so softly than Remy could barely hear him. "Haven't stopped lookin' fer ya, I swear. Since the night you went missing. We've all been wracking our brains for months trying to retrieve your annoyin' little ass."

Jean and Scott watched in awe at his display of affection.

Remy wasn't sure if Jubilee could hear him, but she mumbled incoherently at Logan's touch. He watched Logan replace the washcloth atop her forehead when she was still once more.

"What happened?" Logan asked suddenly over his shoulder as he felt for her pulse. It was slow and weak, but steady.

"Don' know," Remy replied as he leaned against the doorway. "Her plasma has been gettin' outta control. She can't seem to control it anymore."

"Her mutation is evolving," Logan realized out loud. He pulled open her eyelid, where blue eyes blazed unnaturally bright.

"Her fever keeps spiking up and down," Jean added as she shook her head. "It was dangerously high this afternoon. I can't take her to a hospital, or they'll realize that she's _different_. They'd take her away…"

"I need to get her home," Logan explained after she trailed off. "I need to take her to our resident Doc to get her mutation under control 'fore it kills her."

"Den do it," Remy demanded. He knew it meant he'd never see her again, but he _had_ to know she'd be okay.

"It ain't that simple, bub," Logan replied.

"What you mean?" Remy asked angrily, his voice rising. "You said you could jump to de other world now _without_ making a sacrifice of life energy. What's wrong? What ain't you tellin' us?"

Logan sighed, aggravated. "The jump from _our_ world to _yours_ is easy. To _leave_, though, now that's a whole 'nother issue. It took Beast _months_ to reconfigure this contraption so it would work _without _that blasted machine you guys blew up," he said as he held up his wrist, revealing a chunky metal bracelet.

"Without that machine I can't do it right away," Wolverine continued frustratedly. "That's why it _took_ so long to open the damn portal again. It's all because we only had one working machine – on _our_ side."

Scott shook his head. "I don't understand exactly what you're trying to tell us," he said.

"I can't take energy from this world without giving some back!" Logan growled. "Beast modified this thing to charge up so we could _eventually_ make the jump without killin' anybody. The problem is it takes time to charge for the wrist device to be fully functional, especially for _two_ people."

"How long do you need?" Jean asked.

Logan sighed as he looked down at Jubilee. "About three months," he admitted finally. "The plan was to find her and stay with her until it was ready. We aren't due back until then."

"That's not enough time!" Remy shouted and swore under his breath. He wracked his brain for a solution.

No one spoke for several long seconds.

"So she has to die?" Scott broke the agonizing silence. "There's no other way to get her back in time?"

"Oh, dere's a way," Remy sighed with a dark laugh as Logan's lip pursed tightly.

"So what?" Scott continued, looking back and forth between the two men. "Let's make it work. Whatever it is, let's do it!"

"Not that easy," Logan explained. "We need to trade energy."

"A trade?" Jean inquired. "Where are you going to find enough energy powerful enough to open up a _portal_?"

"Life energy is one of the most powerful resources you can trade," Remy spoke up, recalling something Jubilee had once told him.

Logan nodded.

"What exactly does that mean?" Scott asked, confused. "How do you trade or transfer life energy?"

Logan and Remy stared at the man grimly, not quite sure how to explain.

"Oh, my God," Jean exclaimed suddenly, comprehending the severity of the situation. She covered her mouth.

"What?" Scott asked, aggravated. "What aren't you telling me?"

"Someone has to die," Remy stated boldly, remembering the events that had unfolded months ago. "You kill 'em where you want the portal to open to de other side."

Scott and Jean stood in stunned silence before him.

Remy sighed and leaned against the frame of the bedroom doorway, suddenly understanding now why Diane was appearing more often in his dreams. She was calling for him. He made his way silently to the other side of Jubilee's bed, opposite Logan. There was only one resolution to save the girl, and it was clear to Remy.

"I'll do it," Remy declared softly with a faint smile. He met Logan's hardened gaze.

"Wait, you're volunteering to _die_?" Scott asked incredulously. "You can't possibly be serious!"

"That's _insane_!" Jean exclaimed. "You can't-"

"_Oui_," Remy interrupted harshly, "I _can_." He paused and looked solemnly Scott and Jean. "Neither of _you_ two can, Jean. You gotta be dere for Nathan to grow up. _He_ can't," Remy gestured to Wolverine, "because he got a healing factor dat won't let him die fast enough for the energy transfer to take place. And we ain't gonna run around murderin' random people."

He looked Wolverine in the eyes, almost pleadingly. "De _Petite_ is all Remy got left now. I'll be wit'out her either way…" he trailed off.

Logan nodded approvingly after several long seconds, not needing any further explanation. Jubilee was now as much Remy's as she was Logan's. He'd earned Logan's respect in that heavy moment.

"Christ, this is really happening?" Scott asked stunned. He ran rubbed his neck, agitated. He felt so helpless.

"So how do you wanna do it?" Remy asked, ignoring Scott's astonishment.

"It's ain't so much _how _as it is _where_," Wolverine explained. "I followed her through the portal that was opened when she first got here. It's the last open doorway to this world for a reason; we only kept it open so we could retrieve her. We just gotta activate it." He gestured to the bulky watch on his wrist. "Once we make it to the other side, I'll have other X-Men shut the doorway - _permanently_."

"All right," Remy agreed.

"We're really doing this?" Jean asked suddenly, speaking up for the first time in several long minutes. Her face was ghastly pale. "We're really going to let Remy _sacrifice_ himself?"

Remy gestured towards the limp girl. "Do you want de _Petite_ to die?" he asked softly.

Jean shook her head and blinked back tears. Subconsciously, she folded her arms hugging herself.

"Okay, den," he said reassuringly as Jean met his eyes and nodded. "Everyt'ing's gonna be okay."

"I'll take you there," Scott offered awkwardly, coming out of his daze. "Jean, you can stay here with Nathan, can't you?"

She nodded silently as the tears finally fell.

"We gotta go then," Logan said earnestly. "I can hear her heart beating still, and I don't wanna take the chance that it'll stop. Our Doc, Hank, he can help her control the mutation until her body adjusts… But right now, we just can't waste anymore time. We can't take the chance or she'll die."

Remy and Scott nodded simultaneously. Logan bent down to Jubilee and brushed the bangs away from her face.

"Can I carry her?" Remy asked suddenly from the other side of the bed.

Logan nodded; he couldn't deny the last wish of the man who was willing to give his surrogate daughter a chance to live beyond sixteen years. "O'course."

Before Remy could gather Jubilee into his arms, Jean placed a hand on Remy's face and kissed his cheek, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered. He smiled, unable to answer her.

She turned, placing a hand on the girl's forehead and kissing it. "Be well, Jubilee," she sobbed, with a slight laugh. "Thank you for jumping in front of my car."

"C'mon," Scott interrupted, as he pulled his wife away from her so Remy could take her. "We need to head out there while it's dark and the roads aren't busy."

**The Road Home  
The Streets of New York  
Saturday, August 2****nd****, 11:59pm**

"You can just drop us off," Logan said to Scott from the front passenger seat. They were already well on their way toward the road where Jubilee had first arrived. "Don't wanna draw too much attention to us."

"Shouldn't I stay to be with Remy when he… _goes_?" Scott asked, not feeling right about leaving the man alone to die.

"_Non_," Remy said quietly from the back seat where he held Jubilee. "I'll be fine."

"Besides," Wolverine explained. "You can't be near him after it's done. You're not supposed to know about this, remember?"

Scott nodded solemnly, knowing being near a scene like this while it was happening could lead to dire consequences at the PD. After what went down with Oblivion Fuel, he had to steer clear from all things supernatural. He knew deep down that Remy would not appreciate knowing he'd cost Scott his career. And neither would Jubilee.

"You gotta wait," Remy said. "Someone else has gotta find my body. It can't be you."

Remy noted inwardly that he'd just used that matter-of-fact tone he simply hated to hear in Jubilee's voice.

Scott turned onto the road where Jubilee had first fallen into this world.

They were close now.

"De _Petite_," Remy said as he held her close in the back seat of the car. "She gonna blame herself for dis."

"I know," Logan replied grimly.

"Don' let her." Remy's tone was commanding.

They sat in silence as they approached the doorway to Jubilee's world. Logan gestured towards an area to pull over.

"We're here," Scott's voice almost cracked. He pulled over to the side of the road and put it in park. Logan climbed out from the passenger side. Scott felt like time was slowing down as he unbuckled himself and got out to open Remy's door. Remy pulled Jubilee out of the car, still secure in his arms.

Strange Scott Summers looked down at the orphan Jubilee for the very last time, in Remy's loving arms. A memory flashed in his mind of when he'd first seen her. She had been sleeping then as well, though this time not in a hospital bed. He placed a hand on her cheek, silently wishing her luck and love.

Looking up, he eyed Remy seriously, expression grave. "It was a pleasure," he finally managed. They'd been through more together in one night than most had in a lifetime. It pained him to have to bid goodbye. He placed a steady hand on Remy's shoulder and gave Wolverine a curt nod. There was nothing more he could bring himself to say to either of them. Scott could only accept the fate now laid out for Remy and Jubilee.

With a heavy heart, he climbed into his car. Refusing to look into the rearview mirror, he took off with finality, leaving them behind.

Logan and Remy Lebeau watched in the darkness of the night as his tail lights gradually faded in the distance. It was several minutes before either of them spoke.

"C'mon," Logan finally said, breaking the silence. "It's over here."

He led Remy, gesturing to a small clearing in the bushes.

"So dis be where de _P'tite_ came from?" he asked amusedly as he looked around, a soft smile appearing on his sullen features.

Logan grunted an affirmative.

It was kind of ironic, almost as though it were meant to be, that Remy would die the exact location where Jubilee first appeared. He found strange comfort in that fact, like he would somehow always be connected to her even in death. He wasn't afraid to die, not for Jubilee. He was right when he'd said there was nothing more in this world for him. Diane's death took a big toll on his heart, and the only reason he had been able to purge on was for the sick girl who now lay helpless in his arms.

Logan watched as Remy lay Jubilee in the grass gently. The thief took his jacket off and propped it under her head as a pillow.

The hardened Cajun bent down to kiss her cheek and spoke to her.

Remy's voice cracked as he whispered the beloved words into her ear, praying once again to God that she could somehow hear him. He would've loved to give her a proper goodbye, but as it was, Jubilee's life couldn't afford the time it would take. He took her small hand in his and kissed it tenderly. She looked like she was merely sleeping; he wondered briefly if she somehow knew she was on her way home. It took all the strength left in him to let go of her.

He stood bravely, arms hanging awkwardly at his sides, and faced the Wolverine: the man who would serve as both his executioner and savior.

"I'll make it quick," Logan said softly, not wanting to prolong the man's suffering.

"_Merci beaucoup_," Remy thanked him sincerely. He held a hand out to the father of his young friend.

"No," Logan said as he shook his head and took Remy hand in his own. "Thank _you_. Fer keepin' her safe, fer lovin' her the way she deserves while I couldn't be here with her. I speak for all of us, the X-Men, her family and friends, when I say you have my respect and all the gratitude my heart can offer… I just hope you finally find the peace yer lookin' for."

Remy couldn't resist the small smile that slipped at the sincerity of Logan's voice.

His eyes bulged momentarily the instant the Wolverine's claws pierced his heart. As he was lowered gently to the ground by his new friend, he looked up to the bright night sky full of stars. The wind washed Jubilee's scent through his nostrils. He thought he heard Diane again, calling his name. Logan was right; Remy's pain was fading fast. His vision began to dim and his head fell to the side weakly.

He had been told once that when a person takes his last breath on earth that all the memories of his life come rushing to him. For Strange Remy Lebeau, however, only one vision came to mind: a blue-eyed Asian whose smile lit up his whole world.

-fin-

_Au revoir, ma Petite. Je t'aime de tout mon coeur._  
Goodbye, my little one. I love you with all my heart.


End file.
